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Gillen reflects on frustrating season, looks ahead
By Andrew Joyner  / Daily Progress staff writer
April 2, 2003
 

Frustrating. That’s the word UVa coach Pete Gillen used to sum up his team’s 2002-03 season. “I was very frustrated and very disappointed. You know, we were 16-16 with a second-round loss in the NIT. Our goals were much higher than that,” Gillen said Tuesday. “We had great moments but we don’t want just moments. … We wanted to do a lot better.” That frustration had several components. First, there was an off-the-court incident with sophomore guard Keith Jenifer which led to his indefinite suspension and ultimately to his release from his scholarship. Several other off-the-court episodes led to at least in-game suspensions of other players including Travis Watson, Elton Brown and Jermaine Harper. Whether directly or indirectly, those off-court actions spilled over to the on-court performance. Specifically, as Gillen frequently has noted, the absence of Jenifer made a poor ballhandling team even worse as his team was left with no definite option at the point. Virginia’s most obvious Achilles’ heel of the season was turnovers, of which it averaged 16.5 a game. “The other teams pressured us and we couldn’t handle it. We didn’t have the quickness with the guard play. … We had too many turnovers,” Gillen said. “We have to do a better job with that. A lot of errors were unforced. It was the most frustrating year I’ve had with turnovers as well.” If frustrating was the word of choice by Gillen on Tuesday, another was quickness. Gillen sees the Cavaliers returning to the style of basketball that was the norm his first four years in Charlottesville. That means more running and pressing instead of the more deliberate half-court game implemented this season. Of course, that requires the right personnel. Virginia loses Watson to graduation but will have the rest of the regular rotation returning. That group will be joined by two fall signees — guard J.R. Reynolds and swingman Gary Forbes — as well as two recent commitments in point guard T.J. Bannister and power forward Donte Minter. Virginia can fill one more scholarship and that likely will be with another post player. The infusion of those players, especially Bannister, Forbes and Reynolds, in someways will almost force Gillen to return to a smaller, quicker lineup. “I think we will be quicker. We’ll have improved guard play. … We’ll play quicker. We have talented guys coming in and I think the guys we have now are going to improve and get better,” Gillen said. “We’ll have more quickness. We weren’t as quick this year. I think we’ll be running more and pressing more. We’ll be more uptempo.” Even with a smaller lineup, there will still be an impetus for the returning frontcourt players, Brown, Jason Clark and Nick Vander Laan, to fill the void left by Watson. “Travis is a great player and we’ll certainly miss him. I think Elton is going to be able to step up and be a terrific player for us. Jason Clark has been hurt during the year and hopefully he’ll be healthy and can improve a lot. Nick Vander Laan I think will also improve,” Gillen said. “From that group I think we can take up the slack of losing Travis.” The continued healing process of point guard Majestic Mapp is certainly a situation that will be monitored in the offseason but conditioning in general will be priority, especially if the goal is to return to a running and pressing style. Toward the end of the season and particularly in the season-ending loss to St. John’s, the Virginia players were visibly tired at the end of games. “We have to do a better job [with conditioning]. I’ll take the blame for that,” Gillen said. Improved conditioning, however, was not the only thing Gillen promised to improve for next season. In fact, he went through a whole litany of changes and improvements he intends to make in the offseason. “We have to look at everything. We have to look at the corporation from the top to the bottom. We have to evaluate and I have to do a better job. I have to recruit good players and make the players we have better and be tougher on them,” Gillen said. “We have to change a lot of changes. We have to have our attitude better, our love for the game better. We have to change a lot of things.” Notes. Virginia will play Auburn, a Sweet 16 participant this season, next season in Richmond. The game is a return one for a UVa-Auburn game played in Birmingham, Ala., in December 2001. It will be Virginia’s first game at the Richmond Coliseum since the infamous contest against Michigan State in November 2001 where melting ice beneath the court led to the game being suspended and never re-played. … Among the possibilities to fill Virginia’s lone remaining scholarship are 6-foot-9 Jason Cain of Philadelphia and Jonas Langvad, a 6-10 forward from Denmark. Cain, who is considering Virginia, Villanova, Indiana and Utah, likely will visit UVa the weekend of April 11.

 

 

Gillen hopes quickness will cure ails
By Jerry Ratcliffe  / Daily Progress sports editor
April 2, 2003
 

Chuck-and-duck is back in Virginia basketball and not a moment too soon. Coach Pete Gillen, ripped by Cavalier faithful and media critics after a 16-16 season full of problems, said Tuesday that he hopes to return to the run-and-press style of hoops that he marked his first four years at the helm of UVa’s program. The move would be the continued evolvement of Gillen’s coaching philosophy. A student of UCLA coaching wizard John Wooden’s theories, Gillen has always put a premium on quickness. Last year, he decided to shift some of the emphasis to putting scorers on the floor, at least three, if not five. Now, perhaps he will field a team that has both quickness and scoring. Hmmm, sounds a lot like what has been working in Durham for several years now. “I think we’ll be quicker next season,” said Gillen on Tuesday. “We’ll improve the guards we already have in our program and we’ll have three new guards coming in.” Lacking quickness Gillen said the lack of quickness from his most recent team made him coach a style of basketball that he didn’t want to play. “It was difficult to coach a team without quickness,” he said. “It was frustrating to me not to be able to coach the way I’m accustomed to coaching. If you have a speed team in baseball, you can’t be trying to hit home runs. So, we had to play a different style than I’m used to. For 17 years I coached another way. This was the most drastic change I’ve had to coach.” Virginia fans had a love affair with Gillen when he came to town and threw a suffocating pressing defense on opponents as soon as they stepped off the bus. It was exciting basketball and forced other teams to adjust. This past season, opponents did likewise to Virginia. Now, he’s hoping that a number of things might make the Cavaliers a quicker basketball team next season. Speedy trio The addition of three new guards will definitely improve team speed. Gary Forbes is a combo two guard/small forward. J.R. Reynolds is a combo point guard/two guard. T.J. Bannister is exclusively a point guard. While we don’t know that much about Bannister’s game, we do know that Forbes and Reynolds are athletic enough to move well, handle the ball well and score. Meanwhile, Gillen expects returning guards Majestic Mapp, Todd Billet, Jermaine Harper and Derrick Byars to improve. Mapp needs to strengthen a leg ravaged by two serious knee injuries. The others need to improve quickness, ball-handling and passing skills. Devin Smith, who proved that he can light up the scoreboard from 3-point range, should be able to improve. He missed close to four months prior to last basketball season after coming off knee surgery. He gained 25 to 30 pounds and was never 100 percent healthy. Gillen took the blame that many of his players appeared winded in the second half of the loss to St. John’s in the NIT’s second round. He promised that conditioning will be one of several off-season priorities. Brown. One of the biggest issues, literally and figuratively, will be Elton Brown. Can Virginia play chuck-and-duck with Brown in the lineup? Not at his present size and lack of conditioning. The only thing Brown can matchup with at the moment is a bucket of chicken. What a waste it would be for him to report overweight and out of shape again next season. He has beautiful post moves, some of the best in the ACC. One NBA scout told this columnist that he really likes Brown’s game, but only if Brown would be disciplined enough to get into real playing shape. Sometimes next season, Gillen said, UVa will play with two big men in the lineup, say a Brown and Nick Vander Laan. Sometimes, they’ll play with four perimeter guys at the same time, which should make them a more lethal team. Because most quality big men head straight to the NBA these days, the college game has evolved into more of a guard’s game with the short 3-point line. Duke has consistently been the nation’s top program for more than a decade and the Devils haven’t had any giants in the middle. Give me a 6-10 guy who can run, surrounded by four guys who can move, handle the ball and shoot, and I’ll take my chances against the slower lugs who eat up half the shot clock getting the ball into their offense. Gillen has one more scholarship remaining and he’s planning on using it wisely on a big guy with quickness. Perfect. The chuck-and-duck is back. Virginia fans, let me hear you say a collective ‘Amen.’

 

 

U.VA. FOOTBALL NOTES
Apr 03, 2003

INCREASED WORKLOAD: Quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Marques Hagans took most of the snaps in practice last season. Anthony Martinez was the new kid, and the Patrick Henry High graduate was redshirting, so his role was limited.

That's no longer the case. Schaub, the reigning ACC player of the year, is back at QB, but Hagans has been moved to wide receiver, if only for the spring. Martinez, now Schaub's understudy, is getting all the work he can handle.

"This is probably a little bit of a shock to his system, going from the circumstance that he was in last year: getting a play here and there," coach Al Groh said yesterday.

"The volume of things that he has to deal with - formations, motion, the play call, the read - as it is with most young quarterbacks, was a little overwhelming in the beginning, but he's getting more comfortable with it."

In Virginia's roster for the Continental Tire Bowl, Martinez, 6-3, was listed at 230 pounds. He's at 249 on the spring roster.

"I think that number's going down a little bit, and it would probably be a good idea if it did," Groh said, "but this is a big kid. This isn't going to be a 210-pound player."

OFF LIMITS: Team rules under Groh have included this one: Players aren't allowed to ride motorcycles.

"Here in Charlottesville, Virginia, I didn't really think we needed a skiing rule," he said yesterday.

Offensive lineman Mark Farrington injured his right leg in a skiing mishap this winter, however, and hasn't been cleared for spring drills.

"Obviously, from now on, we'll have a skiing rule," Groh said with a laugh.

He didn't disclose details of Farrington's accident, but Groh said, "I think it's fairly easy to picture someone like Wali Lundy or Almondo Curry or somebody like that on skis. It's not an appealing sight to think about one of these offensive linemen on skis."

LOCAL PRODUCTS: Walk-ons include offensive tackle Davon Robb (Hopewell High) and cornerback Marshall Tucker (St. Christopher's). Tucker joined the Cavaliers this spring. Robb, a 2002 graduate of Hopewell, redshirted last season.

Robb, who stands 6-8, was listed at 249 pounds in 2002. He's added 10 pounds and has played extensively this spring in the absence of starter Brad Butler, who's out with mono.

"It's a learning phase," Groh said. "He's still a project, but in the long term, one of the benefits of the situation we have there is that this is a player who's obviously getting more snaps than he would be."

INSIDE JOB: Don't be surprised if freshman Ahmad Brooks wins a starting job at inside linebacker by the Aug. 30 opener against Duke. The former high school All-American has impressed his coaches.

"He's going to be very, very good," Groh said. "You'll have fun watching him."

Brooks, a graduate of Hylton High, spent the fall semester at Hargrave Military Academy. He enrolled at U.Va. in January.

STRONG FINISH: Tailback Michael Johnson ended his injury-plagued freshman season on a high note, carrying twice for 23 yards against West Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl.

"It was a good confidence boost coming into the spring practice and offseason workouts," said Johnson, the Cavaliers' fastest player.

A 2002 graduate of Newport News' Heritage High, Johnson finished the season as U.Va.'s fourth-leading rusher, with 133 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries. But he never got completely healthy again after suffering a high ankle sprain Sept. 7 against South Carolina, an injury that caused him to miss four games. - Jeff White

 

 

Will Tech's safe play pay?
BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST Apr 03, 2003
Contact Bob Lipper at (804) 649-6555 or e-mail blipper@timesdispatch.com

Jim Weaver couldn't take a chance this time. He couldn't experiment. He did that four years ago with Ricky Stokes. It was a risk-vs.-rewards venture. It didn't pan out. That wasn't Weaver's fault. But he couldn't go there again.

So he chased the highly esteemed Jeff Lebo of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Couldn't lasso him. And master builder Jim Baron of Rhode Island. Got him a bump in salary at Rhody. And Ed DeChellis of East Tennessee. Lost him to Penn State. Not what the AD ordered.

Forced to dig deeper, Weaver tunneled to Tampa, Fla., and came up with Seth Greenberg.

He can only hope the fourth guy is the charm.

By all accounts, Greenberg is that - a charmer, I mean. He's advertised as personable and enthusiastic, an upbeat sort who hustled basketball for seven years at South Florida. He operated in the long shadow cast from Gainesville by Billy Donovan. He bucked the state's natural inclination toward oblong balls. He pitched his product relentlessly. He dreamed big.

"Sports fans should love the pace of action we're offering," he said a couple of years ago. "There's no reason why South Florida can't become a consistent Top 20 program that excites huge numbers of people and brings constant sellouts to the Sun Dome."

He had to settle for 15-14 and 4,045 per game. Those were USF's on-court and turnstile numbers last season, and I recite them not to mock Greenberg but to underscore the reality that roadblocked his ambitions. His competition included Conference USA heavyweights Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis and Marquette and the sun, blue waters and golf courses of Tampa-St. Pete. That he fell short is no mortal sin.

It may even have fortified him for his next assignment.

Virginia Tech basketball is a tough sell. It's a catfish out of water in the Big East. It's neither Catholic nor urban, the Big East's dominant strains. It's loomed over on its own turf by the ACC. It has no glossy new arena to sell. It hasn't enrolled a high-profile schoolboy from its state since 1982. It's been to the NCAAs once over the past 17 years.

Attendance is flat-lining, the competition rugged, Dell Curry and postseason regularity a distant memory.

Given the terrain, you'd best not mess around. Better to find a pro and grab him.

"You're in a league that is screaming for experience, screaming for maturity," is the way St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli put it last week.

Greenberg fits in that sense. He'll celebrate his 47th birthday in a couple of weeks. He's been a Division I head coach for 13 years. He previously worked as an assistant at Miami - under former Tech coach Bill Foster - and Pitt. He spent 1983-84 at Virginia, where an unlikely run to the Final Four was fueled in part by a spunky guard named Ricky Stokes. Funny how these threads come together now.

His best years were at Long Beach State, where he made a couple of NCAA drawsheets and one trip to the NIT. He also beat Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, became the first 49ers coach since Jerry Tarkanian to post five straight winning seasons - let's hope that's the only thing he has in common with Tark - and forwarded Bryon Russell and Lucious Harris to the NBA.

He wasn't nearly as successful at South Florida. What he'll manage at Tech is anyone's guess. But he's willing. For now, that'll have to do.

 

 

UVa snaps postseason losing streak but finishes 16-16
Cavaliers still waiting for better days

Discipline problems off the court and turnover problems on the court cause Virginia to struggle much of the season, especially at the end.

By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   Fortunately for Pete Gillen, there was no microphone handy when Virginia ended its men's basketball season with a second-round NIT loss to St.John's.

    Moreover, the Cavaliers were on the road, so Gillen wasn't tempted to lift the spirits of the UVa faithful with promises of better days ahead.

    That's what happened after a home loss to South Carolina in the first round of the 2002 NIT, and Gillen has been answering for it ever since.

    "Last year, we were 17-12, which is disappointing," Gillen said Tuesday in his first teleconference since the end of the season. "Going to the NIT this year [and finishing] 16-16 is even worse.

    "I think it's very important that we get back in the NCAA tournament and play where we belong. Certainly, next year is a crucial year. We want to continue to get better and not slip."

    There were numerous similarities to the 2001-02 season, when UVa rose as high as No.4 in the rankings while winning its first nine games. That team lost 10 of its last 13 games, and the Cavaliers experienced a similar slide this year, losing nine of their last 11.

    In five seasons under Gillen, Virginia is 3-14 in March. Two of those victories came this year, when UVa upset defending national champion Maryland for the second time in 31 days then ended a 13-game postseason losing streak by beating Brown 89-73 in the first round of the NIT.

    After being picked fifth in the ACC, the Cavaliers finished in a tie for sixth, although Andy Katz described them on ESPN.com as "the biggest disappointment" in college basketball.

    Virginia had four victories over Top 25 teams, including Kentucky and Wake Forest, but lost nine of 11 road games and was swept by second-tier ACC teams Georgia Tech and Clemson.

    The addition of a defensive specialist in ex-Boise State head coach Rod Jensen may have contributed to an improved UVa defense, which limited opponents to 43.5 percent shooting from the field. However, the Cavaliers had more than 100 turnovers more than the opposition (528-417).

    That was the most graphic illustration of UVa's problems at point guard, where sophomore Keith Jenifer started 14 games, junior Todd Billet started 18 and Majestic Mapp received ample playing time after missing 2 1/2 seasons rehabilitating a knee injury.

    "It was a miracle he played," Gillen said of Mapp. "He played 15 minutes per game, which is unbelievable. I thought he was pretty good early; as time went on, his effectiveness wasn't as good. We're hoping against hope that he'll improve a little bit."

    Mapp was 5-for-33 from the field over the last 11 games and shot 21.4 percent from the field for the season. That was also the knock against Jenifer, who was shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 55.1 percent from the free-throw line when he incurred a season-ending suspension Feb.3.

    Jenifer had 104 assists and 52 turnovers, a respectable ratio compared with Billet's 108-93.

    Seven UVa players had six turnovers or more in at least one game. Coupled with the Cavaliers' 65.8 percent free-throw shooting, that helped account for 10 losses when Virginia was leading or tied at some point in the second half.

    The departure of Roger Mason, who turned pro in the spring of 2002 with one year of eligibility left, robbed the Cavaliers of a go-to player at the end of the shot clock, half or game. Travis Watson's 14.3-point scoring average was the lowest to lead the Cavaliers since Olden Polynice's 13.0 in 1984-85.

    Watson became the first player since Ralph Sampson from 1981-85 to lead the Cavaliers in rebounding in four straight seasons. Watson, one of two seniors along with seldom-used Jason Rogers, is certain to be missed.

    Watson also led the ACC in double-doubles for the third straight year but spent time in Gillen's doghouse for missing a class, missing a disciplinary run and arriving late for a team breakfast at Florida State.

    Watson, sophomore center Elton Brown and sophomore guard Jermaine Harper were all late for the breakfast; Harper and Jenifer were arrested for driving under the influence and misdemeanor assault and battery (charges against Jenifer were dropped); and Harper and Jenifer were suspended for an exhibition game.

    "I think I've got to be stricter," Gillen said. "We don't have a million rules. We just ask them to be on time and go to class. We punished guys that messed up. In today's age, the more discipline, the better. We don't want it to be boot camp."

    Gillen has signed or received commitments from four players, three of them on the perimeter, who join double-figure scorers Billet (13.5) and Devin Smith (11.6). Billet and Smith combined for 158 3-point field goals - more than any other ACC duo.

    Gillen said Brown, who averaged 9.6 points overall and 11.1 in ACC games, can become a "terrific" player but both Brown and Smith will be put on a weight-loss program.

    "We have to look at everything," Gillen said. "We've got to look at the corporation from the top to the bottom. I've got to do a better job, we've got to recruit good players, make the guys that we have better and be tougher on them.

    "We've got to make our attitude better. We've got to have our love for the game better. We've got to change a lot of things."

 

 

COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
Hardy could give Cavs some safety
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Jermaine Hardy, who has earned the respect of the Virginia football staff without the benefit of extensive playing time, could see his efforts rewarded with a starting job.

Hardy, an All-Group AAA performer at William Fleming High School in Roanoke, has been working with the first team since moving from cornerback to safety this spring.

Safety is the position on the defense where UVa has the least experience after the loss of seniors Jerton Evans, Shernard Newby and Chris Williams.

Evans started for most of four seasons, Williams was a starter until he suffered a knee injury early in the 2002 season, and Newby played most of the way in the Continental Tire Bowl.

Freshman Willie Davis became a starter by the end of the season, but rising senior Jay Dorsey and other candidates have received negligible playing time.

Coach Al Groh said Hardy has the speed that is one of the prerequisites for the position. Tackling ability and understanding UVa's defensive formations are areas of emphasis for Hardy this spring.