Shyatt meets with Gillen about job
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
April 27, 2004

Former Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt met with Virginia coach Pete Gillen over the weekend to discuss the open vacancy on Gillen’s staff.
The opening was created when assistant Rod Jensen, who came to UVa two years ago after seven seasons as the head coach at Boise State, resigned his position on April 16.
Shyatt compiled a 70-84 record in five seasons at Clemson and was 19-9 in one season at Wyoming before going to Clemson.
Shyatt was replaced as Clemson’s coach by Oliver Purnell last spring.
Shyatt was the associate head coach at Clemson under Rick Barnes’ tenure from 1994-98 and previously was an assistant under Barnes at Providence.

Sunny South Florida. Jon Oliver, Virginia’s Associate Athletics Director for Administration, is among five finalists for the Athletics Directors position at the University of South Florida, according to the Tampa Tribune.
Oliver; Mark Hollis, Associate Director of Athletics at Michigan State; and Randall Spetman, a retired colonel and former Athletic Director at the Air Force Academy, were recommended as finalists by consultant Chuck Neinas, then unanimously accepted by the school’s 10-person AD search committee during a Monday morning conference call according to the paper.
Neinas said he could recommend “one or two others” as finalists, if they choose to apply for the position.
The finalists will meet with a variety of USF constituencies during visits to campus. The AD search committee is expected to recommend a final choice for USF president Judy Genshaft, who will make the call.
USF is replacing Lee Roy Selmon, who resigned as the school’s AD in February.

Basketball honors. Devin Smith received the Virginia men’s basketball team’s Bill Gibson Cavalier of the Year Award for the 20003-04 season on Monday at the UVa basketball banquet at the Doubletree Hotel.
Smith, a 6-foot-5 junior forward from New Castle, Del., also received the award as the team leader in free-throw percentage (.800, 60-75). Despite being hampered by a back injury, he averaged 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds a game, and earned honorable mention All-ACC recognition this past season.
Earning the UVa women’s team’s Cavalier of the Year award for the second consecutive year was junior LaTonya Blue. The 5-11 All-ACC guard also honored as the top Defensive Player and top Offensive Player. Blue was also recognized for leading the team in assists for the second straight season.
Junior co-captain Kate Kreager earned the Bob Williams Award for outstanding athletic and academic performances.

Six-pack. The Virginia women’s lacrosse team’s 17-7 victory over Duke on Sunday in the ACC championship game gave the school its record sixth ACC title of the 2003-04 academic year.
According to UVa coach Julie Myers, her team’s success as well as the other programs can either be directly or indirectly attributed to goals set by Virginia Athletics Director Craig Littlepage in the fall of 2002. Among those goals were for Virginia programs to capture 12 national titles and 70 ACC championships in the next 10 years. Virginia prints many of these goals in its respective media guides.

“When Craig Littlepage took over as Athletics Director, he was very clear in what he wanted. He kept the coaches in the loop and said these were the things we were going to meaure ourselves by. It’s not just titles but also how we are doing in the classroom as well and that’s a big part of it,” Myers said. “We’ve been able to translate that message to our players and it has made a big difference. To win the school’s sixth ACC title of the year is great and whenever your program can contribute to the overall goal, that’s just an awesome feeling.” Myers’ team, which now has a 15-3 record, rose to No. 2 in the rankings Monday. They will await play in the NCAA tournament in two weeks.

Not over yet. The Virginia men’s lacrosse team’s 12-11 loss to Maryland in Sunday’s ACC title game eliminated it from NCAA consideration and thus ended an 11-year streak of reaching the NCAAs.
The Cavaliers (5-7) still travel to Penn State on May 8 for their regular-season finale.
UVa coach Dom Starsia referenced that game Sunday amid discussing the disappointment of the loss to Maryland and the fact his squad will not be able to defend is 2003 national title.
“This season hasn’t always been the easiet ride but we’ve been making progress. I’m sorry that it has ended abruptly and won’t continue further. … For me personally, the Penn State game becomes a very important game. That is a very important statement for us at the end of the season,” Starsia said.
 

Burrell coming to UVa
New Jersey DE is ninth member of Cavaliers' 2005 class
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
April 27, 2004

When coaches at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J., discovered Denzel Burrell was an outstanding football player, it was purely by accident. When Virginia coaches offered him a scholarship last Friday, it was by design.

Burrell accepted that offer on Monday and became the ninth member of UVa’s recruiting class for 2005. All nine are rising high school seniors who cannot officially sign with the Cavaliers until next February. At this rate, Virginia may have most of its recruiting effort wrapped up prior to the 2004 kickoff in September.

Burrell is a 6-foot-4, 205-pound defensive end at Columbia, but was recruited as an outside linebacker by Virginia recruiters Mark D’Onofrio and Al Golden.

The Cavaliers were the first to officially offer Burrell in writing, although several other schools were recruiting the New Jersey product.

“Maryland and Purdue wanted him in their camp this summer. Iowa, North Carolina,

N.C. State and Pitt were looking at him as well,” said Gregory Cooper, defensive coordinator at Columbia High. “A lot of the schools didn’t know whether he would be able to perform the same way at outside linebacker because they were in the 4-3 system. Virginia’s 3-4 is conducive to the way he plays and they were high on his list, so it was a natural fit.”

Burrell impressed college coaches with his ball pursuit, particularly from the backside and the fact that he is so quick that he doesn’t give blockers a lot of himself to hit. An active player who is always moving, he has a high motor and is explosive. He has solid pass rush techniques, which should make him a difficult player to handle his senior year.

The defensive end was named All-Essex County and All-Iron Hills Conference as well as all-area last season. He recorded 75 tackles (23 for loss), 10 sacks, 26 quarterback pressures, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, six pass breakups and three blocked punts.

“He was a step slow last year and that’s why he didn’t have as many sacks as we would have liked,” Cooper said. “We worked on his speed in the offseason and we can see that it has paid off. He has good football speed and plays faster than his 4.7 time in the 40.”

A dedicated weight room athlete, Burrell has added 20 pounds of muscle since last December. He benches 270 and squats about 450, according to Cooper, who said that the linebacker has improved his speed and explosiveness with weights and conditioning work four days a week.

“We found him purely by accident,” Cooper said. “He played mostly special teams as a sophomore and we thought maybe he could give one our of starting defensive ends a blow as a reserve. But as defensive line coach I kept noticing how quick this kid came off the ball. He was quicker than any of our starters and no one could block him because he was so quick, so I had to start him.”

Cooper said he moved one of the starting defensive ends to another positon to break Burrell in and the newcomer didn’t disappoint.

“He became our best defensive player,” Cooper said. “He and one other kid were the only unanimous picks for the All-Essex County defensive team.”

D’Onofrio, who spotted Burrell while working as Rutgers’ recruiting coordinator prior to taking a position on Groh’s Virginia staff, was stunned as were many college coaches when they watched Burrell’s highlight film according to Cooper.

“One of those plays came in our second game of the season against the best opponent on our schedule,” Cooper said. “Denzel was blocked but broke through the middle on a punt rush, got through and left his feet, extended his arm and blocked the punt with one hand.

“Now, we were impressed when we saw it live, but when we saw it on film, it was a whole new thing,” Cooper said. “It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Denzel was being held at the line of scrimmage, but just took the kid with him as he blocked the punt. But that wasn’t unsual because he drew four holding penalties in one game … they were tackling him and he was still dragging blockers in pursuit of the quarterback.”
 

Gillen wants Shyatt on UVa staff
By Doug Doughty
doug.doughty@roanoke.com
981-3129

Recruiting will be a priority when Virginia men's basketball coach Pete Gillen fills the position left vacant when assistant Rod Jensen resigned April16.

Gillen confirmed Monday that former Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt was in Charlottesville on Friday to discuss the situation.

Shyatt, who still lives in Clemson, S.C., did television commentary last season following his resignation in the spring of 2003. He also has been mentioned in connection with openings at Florida and Georgia.

Gillen said Shyatt, 53, is the only person he is currently considering for the Jensen opening.

"It would be a great get; I don't know if we could get him," Gillen said. "It was just an informal meeting, no interview yet. I've known him a long time - not real, real well - but always liked him. He's very bright."

Gillen said it is unlikely that a new assistant will have the same role as Jensen. Jensen's main duties were scouting, game planning and instruction.

"We need four guys, beside myself, to recruit," Gillen said. "If you have [ex-aide] Bobby Gonzalez, who was an unbelievable recruiter, maybe you don't need four guys, but I like to have everybody involved."

Actually, no more than three coaches can be on the road at one time, and that's only in July. Otherwise, only two can recruit off campus, and that's during select periods. There is a limit to the number of calls that can be made to recruits, but not a limit to the number of coaches who make them.

"We're going to try - try - to get an established recruiter who can also help me coach and can relate to the kids," Gillen said.

Alexander interested

Gillen said he has received a call from ex-UVa guard Cory Alexander, who is ready to enter the coaching profession after a professional career that included six NBA seasons and a one-year stop with the Roanoke Dazzle of the National Basketball Development League.

Gillen has not ruled out the possibility of a second staff change.

Byars revisited

Gillen's greatest regret in losing sophomore forward Derrick Byars, who has been released from his scholarship, was the fact that Byars embodied the student-athlete ideal that Virginia cultivates.

"I talked to him a few days after the season and he was fine," Gillen said. "He lost his starting job and I think he was worried about playing time. I feel bad because he was a good student and a good person - a Virginia kid - who didn't need a lot of maintenance.

"I know I get criticized for kids leaving but, hey, West Virginia lost two kids. Tennessee lost two kids. Duke lost [Michael] Thompson during the season, and a little guard [Andre Collins] left Maryland. Clemson lost [Chey] Christie. N.C. State lost [Mike] O'Donnell. It's the way of the world."

VanderLaan flourishes

Nick VanderLaan, who left Virginia after one season, averaged a team-high 16.1 points and 11.6 rebounds for a Concordia (Calif.) team that finished 33-5 after losing to Mountain State University of Beckley, W.Va., in the NAIA DivisionI championship game.

VanderLaan, a 6-10, 250-pound post player, had 29 double-doubles and was named first-team NAIA All-American.

After starting 14 games in 2002-03, he left Virginia out of fear the Cavaliers would use a one-post, four-quick lineup. The Cavaliers quickly abandoned the scheme because of rebounding deficiencies.

"He would have helped us," Gillen said.

 

Shyatt talks to Virginia about assistant job
From Staff Reports

Former Clemson basketball coach Larry Shyatt spoke with Virginia about its vacant assistant coaching position, according to a report in the Richmond Times-Dispatch that cites unidentified sources.

Shyatt declined to comment when asked by The State last week about the Virginia job, except to say he knows Cavaliers coach Pete Gillen “very well.” Shyatt and Gillen knew each other long before both became ACC head coaches in 1998.

Since his forced resignation from Clemson in March 2003, Shyatt took a year off from coaching and was a basketball analyst on Fox Sports Net and ESPN Radio last season. He said he hopes to land studio television work but still could coach again.

“My comments have been the same since I was fired,” Shyatt said. “As much as I miss coaching, it will have to be a special situation for me to return, such as an athletic director who has known my family. That’s the most important thing to me, and always has been. I was no longer remotely a good fit at Clemson.”

Virginia is looking to replace assistant Rod Jensen, who resigned April 16.

There is recent precedent of a former ACC head coach returning to the league as an assistant. Steve Robinson, who was fired at Florida State in 2002, is now a North Carolina assistant.

— Jon Solomon
 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Apr 27, 2004

DEFENSIVE ADDITION: Virginia has received its ninth football commitment for 2005. It's from Denzel Burrell, a 6-4, 205-pound junior from Maplewood, N.J.

Burrell, who has a 3.4 grade-point average and scored 1,050 on the SAT, stars at defensive end for Columbia High. He'll play outside linebacker in U.Va.'s 3-4 defense.

In 2003, Burrell recorded 23 tackles for loss, including 10 sacks. He forced four fumbles, recovered four fumbles and blocked three punts and made first-team all-Essex County.

"He's very aggressive . . . a relentless pass rusher," Columbia coach Greg Cooper said.

U.Va. was the first school to offer a scholarship to Burrell. North Carolina, Maryland, Purdue, Iowa and Connecticut were among those also recruiting Burrell, Cooper said. They had questions about Burrell's ability to play linebacker, Cooper said, and "wanted to see him in camp first" before extending scholarship offers.

HOOPS TALK: At North Carolina, Roy Williams' staff includes former Florida State men's basketball coach Steve Robinson. At Virginia, Pete Gillen is considering a similar hire.

Gillen has spoken to former Clemson coach Larry Shyatt about the position that opened at U.Va. when assistant Rod Jensen left the staff this month, sources said. Shyatt reportedly met with Gillen in Charlottesville over the weekend.

Reached yesterday at his home in South Carolina, Shyatt declined comment when asked if he'd met with Gillen or if the job at Virginia interested him. But Shyatt, 53, said he and Gillen are longtime friends.

"Believe it or not, we were young coaches once," Shyatt said, "and we'd see other quite a bit when we were assistants."

Shyatt compiled a 70-84 record in five seasons at Clemson. He resigned under pressure in March 2003. He worked for Fox during the 2003-04 basketball season as a television and radio analyst and also did "about eight studio spots," Shyatt said.

"I love TV. In fact, the one thing I am doing right now is trying very hard to get a television contract [for 2004-05]," said Shyatt, who leaves today for the Euroleague Final Four in Israel, where he'll be a guest speaker.

Shyatt and his wife, Pam, have three sons, the youngest of whom turns 18 next month. He's not sending out his resume or applying for coaching jobs, Shyatt said, but "if something were to come our way, we'd have to look at it."

Gillen couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.

U.Va. isn't the only school interested in Shyatt. Georgia coach Dennis Felton has an opening on his staff, too, created by the recent departure of assistant Ken McDonald, who'll work for Rick Barnes at Texas. Shyatt and Felton were on Barnes' staff at Clemson.

BOUNTIFUL HARVEST AHEAD: Only one player from U.Va. - quarterback Matt Schaub - was chosen in this past weekend's NFL draft, the second time in the past four drafts that Virginia failed to produce multiple picks.

That trend isn't likely to continue. The 2005 draft also should be memorable for U.Va., which had six players selected in 1997 and again in'99.

Among the rising seniors in fourth-year Al Groh's program who are likely to be NFL prospects: offensive guard Elton Brown, defensive end Chris Canty, tight end Patrick Estes, nose tackle Andrew Hoffman and tailback Alvin Pearman. Players who could leave school early for the NFL include tight end Heath Miller and linebackers Darryl Blackstock and Ahmad Brooks.

MOVING ON? Jon Oliver, U.Va.'s senior associate athletic director for administration, is one of three finalists for the AD's position at the University of South Florida in Tampa. The others are Mark Hollis, an associate AD at Michigan State, and Randall Spetman, former AD at Air Force.

Oliver is in his third year at U.Va. A former basketball player at Boise State - whose assistant coaches then included Jensen - Oliver has a law degree from the University of Idaho. He came to U.Va. from Washington State's athletic department.

Lee Roy Selmon resigned as USF's athletic director in February.

MULTITALENTED: Graham High senior Ahmad Bradshaw will concentrate on football at U.Va., but he's an accomplished basketball player, too. The 5-10 Bradshaw recently was named to The Associated Press' all-Group AA first team, the second straight season he's been so honored.

ANTI-CLIMACTIC: The men's lacrosse team has one game left - May 8 at Penn State - but its season effectively ended Sunday with an 12-11 loss to Maryland in the ACC final. The defeat ensured that the Cavaliers (5-7) will not advance to the NCAA tournament to defend the title they won last year in Baltimore.

This marks the first time since 1992, Jim Adams' final season as coach, that the NCAA tourney field won't include U.Va.

Virginia placed three players on the all-ACC team: senior goalie Tillman Johnson, senior defenseman Brett Hughes and sophomore attackman Matt Ward. Johnson is the first goalie in ACC history to be named all-conference three times.

Conspicuous by his absence is Virginia junior John Christmas, who made the all-ACC team in 2002 and'03. Christmas, who had 44 points as a freshman and 48 as a sophomore, has 20 this season.

ON THE DIAMOND: Virginia's baseball team, which leads the ACC with a 14-4 record, hasn't played a conference game since April 18. The Cavaliers won't play another ACC team until May 7, when they begin a three-game series with Florida State in Charlottesville.

A strong showing against the Seminoles could clinch the ACC regular-season title for Virginia. U.Va., 35-9 overall, plays host to Radford tonight and then breaks for final exams. - Jeff White