On a day of leveraging, information still scarce at UVa
Groh: Don’t believe everything you hear about Brown
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Last week, I was concerned about taking a week’s vacation, only to escape when nothing happened on the Virginia’s men’s basketball coaching scene.

Today, I had similar fears about an eight-hour training session on the topic of “leveraging differences.” Some people might refer to it as diversity training.

Again, I expected all hell to break loose. Again, I was lucky. I’m back at the paper and nothing has happened yet.

So, what is this, Day 24? I can understand that UVa fans and probably some UVa players have gotten pretty impatient, but I can’t buy the theory that Craig Littlepage’s “due diligence” has cost the Cavaliers a shot at West Virginia coach John Beilein, among others.

Virginia was never going to get Beilein, according to my esteemed former colleague, Pops Bogaczyk, sports editor and columnist for the Charleston (W.Va.) Daily Mail.

It was traumatizing enough when Beilein left the University of Richmond after his son, Patrick, had committed to the Spiders. The Beileins had to fight the perception that Patrick owed his playing time to his family ties; now that Patrick has earned his keep, his father wasn’t about to bail on him with one year of eligibility remaining.

“If this was next year, I think Virginia could have gotten Beilein,” Bogaczyk said.

You think so? Beilein’s renegotiated contract will pay him slightly over $5 million for seven years. At just over $700,000 per season, that’s nearly $200,000 per season less than deposed UVa coach Pete Gillen was making.

I’ve made it known that I think Dave Odom would be the best choice, with some of the brightest young ex-Cavaliers signing on as assistants. In my opinion, Odom would be the short-term solution, as well as part of the long-term solution, but even some of my most loyal friends have turned on me because of that one.

I don’t think UVa will go in that direction. If I had to bet on somebody, it would be DePaul head coach and ex-Connecticut assistant Dave Leitao, but I wouldn’t bet my own money right now.

After spending a day in diversity training, how could I not go with a minority?

HAVE YOU HEARD about the report on Sports Illustrated’s Web site that lists Virginia offensive guard and two-time Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner Elton Brown as one of five players whose NFL draft stock has fallen.

UVa head coach Al Groh, with 15 years’ experience in the NFL, doesn’t attach much significance to it.

“I would tell you the same thing as I tell the players,” Groh said Wednesday in a teleconference. “The only information out there is disinformation.”

Teams are not talking to other teams, Groh said, and they’re not talking to agents. So why would they be talking to online services?

“I know the [NFL] offensive-line coach who was in here the other day hasn’t dropped him on his list,” Groh said.

Brown did not play in the Senior Bowl as a result of the same knee injury that caused him to miss the fourth quarter of Virginia’s game with Florida State on Oct. 16 but did not keep him out of any other games.

Brown took a hard shot on the knee after grabbing a deflected Marques Hagans pass for the first and only reception of his college career. He might have been able to return to the game but Virginia already trailed 22-3 in a game it would lose 36-3.

When he got to the Senior Bowl, Brown took a complete physical exam in which he was asked to report any injuries he might have sustained. When Brown said he had been “whacked on the knee,” as Groh put it, doctors advised him not to play.

Groh did not offer any insight into Brown’s decision to cut short his workouts at the NFL Draft Combine, which reportedly came at the advice of his agent.

Pressure's on in Virginia's 'search opera'
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
April 7, 2005

Oh, to be in the shoes of John Casteen or Craig Littlepage. The two men spearheading the search for a new basketball coach at Virginia are the target of every fan’s complaint.

Well, I suppose that’s why they make the big bucks.

The UVa search has taken on a life of its own in the national hoop circles due to the fact that it’s the only major coaching vacancy in the country. It’s daily episodes have been as entertaining as a jazzed up soap opera.

A Hoos’ hobby

The search has become the daily pastime of Wahoo fans and interested outside observers from the Chicago suburbs to South Bend’s Golden Dome to the bluegrass of Lexington, Ky., to the Lizard Man’s hangout down in Columbia, S.C.

While rumors appear daily - the latest is that there’s a secret, big-time candidate waiting in the wings - validated information has been difficult to come by. Credit Casteen and Littlepage for keeping things as hush hush as humanly possible.

Meanwhile those two men must be under immense pressure. They are bombarded with emails and phone calls from disgruntled alums. Many complained when UVa failed to pounce on John Beilein, this season’s hot coach who led West Virginia to the Elite Eight.

More have shown dismay at some of the names that have surfaced as potential candidates: Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, DePaul’s Dave Leitao and South Carolina’s Dave Odom.

Feeling the heat

Those fans agree with this columnist that this is the biggest hire - at least in UVa’s Athletics Department - in school history. If Virginia wants to be a real player in the ACC and have national prominence and wants a coach to match its new arena and its ambition, then Casteen and Littlepage MUST hit a home run. A double or even a triple won’t do.

Anything less is sending a message to North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, that “Hey, boys, the upper division of the ACC is yours ... we’re shooting to win half our league games and maybe get a dance ticket.”

I believe that Casteen and Littlepage are keenly aware of how important it is to hire the right guy.

Chasing the Big Cat

That’s why I truly believe from all the sources and clues and indications I have received in the last 48 hours is that Virginia is seriously pursuing Kentucky coach Tubby Smith.

I have been the guest on two Kentucky radio shows in the past 24 hours and there’s a lot of chatter about Smith and UVa that just won’t go away. We’ve been told that “there’s something in the works” with a candidate and I can’t believe that it’s anyone other than Smith.

It all makes perfect sense. Virginia has fat cat contributors who have more money than God and apparently they are willing to throw a whole lot of cash at Tubby in order to woo him to come eastward.

Smith is from Maryland and his wife, Donna, is from Richmond. Coming home could be quite a bonus. Family means more than anything when it all comes down to the nitty gritty. Making $3 million a year, coaching in a brand new state-of-the-art arena, in the best basketball league in the world, ain’t a bad gig either.

Casteen and Littlepage have been given this challenge by the fans: would you accept UVa as a “middle of the pack” academic institution? If the annual U.S. News and World Report best universities ranking (where UVa is always No. 1 or No. 2 nationally) is so valued and often quoted by the school, then why not have the same goals for Virginia basketball and football?

Bring Tubby home and the deed will be done.

UNC attempts role of season-spoiler
Well-known Tar Heels look to upset Virginia's chances of securing No. 1 seed in upcoming ACC tourney
Walker Freer, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

When the No. 3 Virginia men's lacrosse team takes on North Carolina Saturday, it'll get a glimpse of where it stood as a team at this stage last year.

When the two teams met last season in Chapel Hill, North Carolina had a 5-3 record and NCAA aspirations. Virginia entered that game with a 3-5 record, mired in its worst season in over a decade. Thanks to two goals and an assist from Tar Heel attackman Scott Falatach, Carolina won that game 11-9. When the teams met two weeks later in the ACC tournament, Virginia upstaged the Heels by the identical score.

This year, with a 2-6 record on the season, North Carolina's only hope to get into the NCAA tournament is to win back-to-back games when the ACC tournament is held in Baltimore later this month.

Their season essentially over, the Tar Heels now will look to spoil everyone else's postseason hopes. Even though the Heels sport a record four games under .500, they lost to No. 1 Johns Hopkins 7-5 a week ago.

Playing with nothing to lose, Carolina could be extremely dangerous to a Virginia team looking to earn the No. 1 seed for the ACC tournament.

To knock off the Cavaliers, UNC will have to find a way to penetrate Virginia's defense. Last week against Maryland, the combination of defensemen Michael Culver, Steve Holmes and Ricky Smith held the Maryland All-American Joe Walters to one extra-man goal. Virginia's strategy included switching to zone defense and keeping Culver on Walters throughout the game. The defense will need to have a similar effort to shut down North Carolina's senior ace Jed Prossner.

Prossner, a returning first team All-American attackman, has scored 26 points on the season and definitely has caught the eye of the Virginia defense.

"We're going to try to limit him to what he can do against our defense," sophomore Virginia goalie Kip Turner said. "We've got to go to him early because we know he's such a good player. He's a threat all over the field."

Prossner is not Carolina's only offensive threat. In fact, UNC has a trio of attackmen capable of taking over a game offensively. Junior Ryan Blair (26 points) and senior Mike McCall (23 points) both force opposing defenses to guard each of them one-on-one, instead of doubling up on Prossner.

In last week's victory, the Virginia offense played one of its best games of the season with eight different players scoring goals.

For junior midfielder Jared Little, it's clear what Virginia must do to maintain the same level of offensive excellence.

The Cavaliers need to "continue to play well together," Little said. "[We need] to just make sure that the middies can draw slides and get the ball to the attack, and the attack can continue to score and feed the middies for goals."

With a game at undefeated No. 2 Duke a week away, the Cavaliers can't afford to look ahead. Instead, they must focus on beating a North Carolina team hungry to bring the Cavaliers down to their level.

Odom reassures his recruits
Coach’s potential departure could influence spring signing success
By STEVE WISEMAN
Staff Writer

South Carolina coach Dave Odom spent the past two days visiting recruits in Kansas and Tennessee.

Odom, a candidate for Virginia’s coaching position, met with 6-foot-11 center Antanas Kavaliauskas at Barton County (Kan.) Community College on Wednesday and 6-9 forward Theryn Hudson of LaVergne (Tenn.) High School on Thursday.

Both players had USC among their finalists, and Hudson was on the verge of committing to the Gamecocks earlier this week before Odom was linked to the vacant job opening at Virginia.

Odom’s situation has caused both players to think twice.

Kavaliauskas, who visited USC’s campus last month, kept the Gamecocks among his final four choices, according to Barton County sports information director Mike Marzolf.

Kavaliauskas will sign with Texas A&M, USC, Virginia Tech or Tennessee, Marzlof said. He has been to Texas A&M and plans to visit Virginia Tech this weekend and Tennessee the weekend of April 15-17.

The spring signing period begins Wednesday.

Hudson has a trip to Southern Methodist scheduled for this weekend. He is also considering Middle Tennessee State.

Wortman said if Odom leaves, it could hurt the Gamecocks’ chances of landing Hudson because Odom did such a good job in the recruiting process of convincing Hudson he could play at the SEC level. The Gamecocks are the only SEC school to offer Hudson.

“Theryn needs someone who believes in him,” Wortman said.

The Gamecocks have two scholarships available for next season, and Odom’s status has complicated the spring signing period.

One national recruiting analyst is confident that the 62-year-old Odom’s reputation among the coaching community will keep USC in good standing.

“I’m sure South Carolina won’t miss a recruit because of the respect that guys have for Dave Odom within the industry,” said recruiting analyst Dave Telep of Scout.com. “If he says he needs a couple of days, they’ll give him time to assess his situation, provided he’s been honest and up front with them, which I believe he would be.”

Spring Football Practice
U.Va.'s great expectations Sintim slated to start, make a difference for Cavs in first year at LB
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Apr 8, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE Al Groh looked at the big kid and saw an outside linebacker. Never mind that Clint Sintim was playing defensive end for Gar-Field High's football team.

"We watched a lot of games," said Groh, the University of Virginia's fifth-year coach, "and we could see him in [situations] where he had to do the same type of movements and same jobs that would be required amongst the jobs he'd have to do here."

Defensively, U.Va. has little in common with the large majority of its Division I-A peers. The Cavaliers' base defense is the 3-4, with which Groh became familiar during his years as an NFL assistant coach. Many of the outside linebackers who have played for him at U.Va. and in the NFL lined up as ends in the 4-3.

"One of the important things to determine," Groh said, is whether a player is "playing defensive end simply because that's his team's sytem, or is he playing defensive end because that's what he is?"

Sintim's play convinced the Cavaliers' coaches that he had the tools necessary to succeed at outside linebacker. U.Va. fans will be able to judge for themselves this season. The 6-3, 245-pound Sintim, who redshirted in 2004, has been running with the first team during spring drills.

"Clint's a player for whom we have significant expectations," Groh said. "He's very responsive. He wants to be a good football player, and he's putting a lot into it."

U.Va.'s two-deep at outside linebacker last season consisted of senior Dennis Haley, junior Darryl Blackstock and redshirt freshmen Vince Redd and Jermaine Dias. Although Groh praised Sintim several times last fall, the Woodbridge resident didn't seem likely to play a leading role in 2005.

Things change. Blackstock left school to enter the NFL draft, and academic issues have sidelined Redd this spring. For the moment, at least, Sintim and Dias are the Cavaliers' starting outside linebackers. No wonder Sintim was nervous when he took the field last Friday night for the first practice of the spring.

"I just wanted to come out here and do the best job I could without messing up," he said.

"Even when Darryl was here, I was always expecting to try hard to play this year. I would have loved to have played beside him, if I had the opportunity, but when he left, it was even more of an opportunity for me to step in and try to make something happen."

Sintim signed with U.Va. in February 2004 after turning down scholarship offers from Virginia Tech, Maryland, Ohio State and Tennessee. Two weeks before signing day, he'd broken his left leg playing basketball for Gar-Field.

"It was pretty bad," Sintim recalled. "Fortunately, it was clean, but it basically snapped in half."

His surgeon placed a rod in his leg, and the injury bothered him early last season at U.Va.

"I started off a little rough, not making the plays that I thought I should have," Sintim said. In October, however, doctors removed a screw from his leg, and "after that it felt a whole lot better."

The prospect of starting as a redshirt freshman would be daunting for any player, but Sintim has additional concerns. The former defensive end is still learning the nuances of his new position. Dias went through the same thing after enrolling at Virginia in 2003.

"Since Jermaine played a lot last year, he looks out for me, tells me what to do and what not to do," Sintim said. "He's really been like a big brother to me."

NOTE: Virginia's open practice Sunday will start at 2:45 p.m. The team practices on the fields behind the McCue Center and University Hall. Cameras, camcorders and cell phones aren't allowed at practices.

 

Azubuike has agent; won't be back at UK
By Murray Evans
Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Junior swingman Kelenna Azubuike, Kentucky's leading scorer this season, has signed with an agent and will forgo his final season of eligibility.

In a statement released by the university, Azubuike announced his intention to enter the NBA draft and not return for his senior season.

"I know all the implications of signing with an agent," Azubuike said. "I believe I am ready and I am willing to do whatever it takes to get better before the draft. I want to make it clear that this is my decision but my family is solidly behind me."

Azubuike signed with Joel Bell, president of Bell Management International based in the Washington, D.C., area.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Azubuike averaged 14.7 points per game and was second on the team in rebounding this season at 4.7 per game. Kentucky finished 28-6 and lost to Michigan State in the Austin regional final of the NCAA tournament.

This is not Azubuike's his first flirtation with the NBA.

During his senior season at Victory Christian School in Tulsa, Okla., Azubuike openly spoke about jumping straight from high school into the NBA, but instead chose to sign with Kentucky. He scored 3,530 points during his prep career, second-best in Oklahoma history, and averaged 39.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game as a senior.

The NBA draft is June 28.

Azubuike averaged 3.7 points per game in 31 games as a freshman reserve before breaking into the starting lineup at the start of his sophomore season. As a sophomore, he averaged 11.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and emerged as a defensive stopper for the Wildcats.

Kentucky went 87-15, won two Southeastern Conference titles and twice appeared in a NCAA tournament regional final during Azubuike's career.

"Kelenna has been a model student-athlete and will be sorely missed," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said in a statement. "He's done everything we've asked him to do since he's been at UK and we'll do everything we can to help him achieve his goals and dreams."

During Smith's eight years as Kentucky's coach, only one other player has forfeited his senior season of eligibility with the Wildcats: Nazr Mohammed in 1998. Mohammed was the final player chosen in the first round of that year's NBA draft.

Another player, Marquis Estill, could've pursued a final season of eligibility, but chose not to do so and entered the NBA draft in 2003. He went undrafted. Estill was also represented by Bell, along with former Wildcat Cliff Hawkins.

In recent years, Kentucky players Tayshaun Prince in 2001 and Keith Bogans in 2002 each declared for the NBA draft following their junior seasons, only to reconsider and return. Both were drafted following their senior seasons.

Azubuike's situation is complicated by an impending federal prison sentence facing his father, Kenneth Azubuike. In November, a U.S. Bankruptcy court jury found the elder Azubuike guilty of 41 federal counts alleging that he had defrauded investors, banks and the court.

The charges alleged that Kenneth Azubuike committed bank fraud and wire fraud, made false statements to banks and engaged in interstate transportation of stolen property.

A federal judge in Oklahoma ordered him to report by April 17 for a four-year prison sentence, to be served at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington.