Littlepage vindicated by Mason, et al
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
April 1, 2006

After all the debating, the criticism, the bracket-busting and carriage rides, we arrive this morning, slippers in hand, at the doorstep of the Final Four.
It's Craig Littlepage's baby from start to finish. While he modestly gives credit to the other nine members of the NCAA Tournament's selection committee, there's no mistaking that the 65-team field had Littlepage's fingerprints all over the place.

The early criticism

In the beginning, he must have wondered if that was a good thing after being ripped from stem to stern by critics who questioned the judgment of including teams such as George Mason among the at-large entries. Now, with little more left than crowning a champion, Littlepage knows it was a good thing and he deserves credit for his vision.

Early on the Virginia athletic director, the third of which to chair the coveted selection committee in the past 23 years, let it be known that this 10-man collection would be faced with challenges unlike any of its predecessors. The rise of mid-major programs coupled with the imbalance created by the method in which power conferences compete within their own leagues presented unique problems in how to compare one team's deeds with another.

While the committee produces the work, ultimately it's the chairman that gets the credit or blame much like the coach of a winning or losing team. With that title comes immense pressure.

"I felt good about being in the role of the chair because of my basketball background and my familiarity with the basketball community and the way in which I was going to ask the committee to do more than any committee before," said Littlepage, a former player and coach.

Going above and beyond

He not only requested that his committee extend its research more than previous groups, but also emphasized to each member to see as many games, as many teams, particularly in their own regions, as possible. We perceive Littlepage as a guy who would rather depend on first-hand knowledge than just a bunch of computer-driven numbers, ratings and statistics.

Should that be the case, perhaps it's a philosophy that future committees should keep in mind.

The talking heads

Criticized from the outset by CBS hoops gurus Billy Packer and Jim Nance, soon to be followed by shots taken from every corner of the country, Littlepage expected some backlash. Nearly every committee is open to punches. It's the nature of the beast because it's impossible to make everyone happy.

But Charlottesville's own felt some of the shots were of the cheap variety and completely unwarranted. Packer took swings over the Missouri Valley Conference selections, admitting that he was unfamiliar with those teams.

A writer from CBS Sportsline hinted cronyism by noting that Littlepage used to coach with George Mason's Jim Larranaga. He also pointed out that GMU's AD was on the selection committee as the lone reasons that the Northern Virginia school had its ticket punched.

Florida State AD Dave Hart, miffed over his team's omission, leveled accusations of politics, to put it nicely.

While Littlepage doesn't think in terms of vindication, the results of perhaps the best NCAA Tournament in history certainly validates he and the committee's work, even though he will be the first to admit that maybe a couple of things could have been better.

"With the realization that we didn't get it all right, there are things that I see that maybe could have been done differently, and after the tournament is over I will take some time sitting on my deck with a cold glass of lemonade and see how things could have been better," Littlepage said. "I made the comment jokingly to one member of the media who asked what we could have improved and I said, 'Well, we probably could have George Mason seeded too low.'"

Mason, of course, wasn't supposed to even be in the field according to most experts. The CAA school was on the board, off it, then back on again. Naturally, it knocked off Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and Connecticut in finding its way to Indianapolis for this unlikely four on the floor, joining LSU, UCLA and Florida.

"The only thing I reacted to that I felt was unfair was the integrity of the process and the integrity of some of our committee members being questioned, and the questioning of our stewardship and in particular, my stewardship," he said. "Let me say there's nobody in the country that loves college basketball more than I do.

"To have comments made that in some way, based on these selections that were made, that we had messed up the tournament and diminished the level of interest people would have in this tournament, I thought was unfair and, at that point, at least premature."

Obviously that has been proven time and again at Crunch Time in one dramatic Reaper Cheater to the other throughout the opening tip of this hoops festival.

Littlepage and his merry men wondered how they could possibly improve on last year's event, which featured three overtime games in the four region finals.

"What has happened this year, we have done as well in terms of great games, photo finishes, the overtimes, the upsets and scares," he said. "Layered on top of that is the story of George Mason. That exceeded the wildest expectations of even the most optimistic of those of us on the committee."

One of the memorable comments Littlepage made after the brackets were released to CBS was that there is such great basketball played throughout the land that most of the public doesn't see because many of the mid-major games are not televised.

Those who ripped the committee for some of their selections (i.e. Mason) can take a 30-second timeout right now to finish eating their crow.

Littlepage pointed out that many of us, from those involved in college athletics to casual fans, to media, don't have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with all these conferences or teams.

"I think that the research that was done by the committee affirmed the belief that there are a lot of good teams out there that are flying underneath the national radar and that they have shown us that they have done the types of things that they needed to do, about as much as they can do given their circumstances, that they deserve the opportunity to be seen and to have a chance to play in the National Tournament," Littlepage said.

"I have made this statement before and I can say it now with even more conviction, that as a college basketball-loving community, we are more enriched and better off having seen teams like George Mason, Bradley, Wichita State and others. What they have done has awakened the consciousness in college basketball of the fact that these teams, though not name brand, certainly are the equal of many of the teams in the power conferences and certainly are part of what makes this tournament great."

Certainly Littlepage and his committee can breathe a sigh of relief that their suspicions and convictions were mostly right on the mark and that they fulfilled their mission in delivering yet another month of remarkable March Madness.

Fellas, take a bow.

 

Cavaliers face final big test of regular season
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
April 1, 2006

With the men's Final Four taking place tonight, most sports fans have their minds on basketball.
But before then, one might want to make the drive up to College Park to see a possible Final Four preview when the men's lacrosse teams from Virginia and Maryland square off at 1 p.m.

Virginia (9-0) is the top-ranked team in the country, while Maryland (6-1) is not far behind at No. 3.

UVa coach Dom Starsia didn't beat around the bush when he talked about the challenge of facing the Terrapins.

"There's no question in my mind that is the best team that we will have played so far this year," Starsia said. "They have the best balance overall. They're outstanding at both ends of the field."

Maryland coach Dave Cottle has been equally impressed by Virginia. The Cavaliers, who have steamrolled opponents this season, are coming off a 12-6 win over defending National Champion Johns Hopkins.

"We don't even know if we should show up - as good as they are," joked Cottle, whose team is riding a three-game winning streak, "but we're going to try.

"I think Virginia is a team that can defend you, and they can outscore you. There's nobody else in college lacrosse that is as good at both ends as they are right now."

Virginia hasn't had a 10-game winning streak since winning the National Championship in 2003.

Cottle cited the Cavaliers' wins over Syracuse and Princeton as examples of the challenges they can pose. Virginia used a wide-open, fastbreak attack to beat the Orange, 20-15. Against Princeton, UVa was able to win using a slow-down style, 7-6.

Interestingly, this will be Maryland's last ACC game of the season, while it will be Virginia's first. The Terrapins can clinch the regular-season conference title and the top seed in the ACC Tournament with a victory.

Starsia said Virginia needs to capitalize on its scoring chances early.

"They're a team that would like to keep the game as low-scoring as possible and be able to play at the most deliberate pace," he said. "Our ability to get the ball off the ground and turn some of those repossessions into scoring opportunities and make some shots against a very good goalie will probably have a lot to say with how this plays."

Starsia called Maryland senior Joe Walters "a marquee player." Walters, a preseason First-Team All-American who plays attack, leads the Terrapins with 28 points (17 goals and 11 assists).

"They have all the ingredients to be one of the top teams at the end of the season," Starsia said. "They're very deep and very athletic at the defensive end of the field. We've always thought that Maryland is one of the teams that can definitely hang with us athletically."

Starsia is expecting the game to be one of the most physical his team has played this season.

"Playing Maryland is like having a fight with your brother in the backyard," he said. "Nobody has to be around. These kids are very familiar with each other. It's always a heckuva scrap."

Duke game up in the air

In the wake of the suspension of men's lacrosse games at Duke - due to allegations that some players took part in the rape of an exotic dancer - Starsia said he has thought about the ramifications for his team should its game on April 15 against the Blue Devils be canceled.

"It's the most unfortunate situation," Starsia said. "How it affects us is trivial compared to the issues at hand for the people in Raleigh-Durham. ? We've certainly thought about the possibility that [the game could be canceled]. I don't know what it does exactly.

"We're sort of waiting for Duke to let us know what their future is going to be. We just don't know what all the possibilities are. There's no precedent for this."

Starsia said the possibility of adding another game is not out of the question.

"We would probably have enough games per se, but missing that competition against a high quality team - one of the best teams on our schedule - would hurt us," he said, "but I think we'll meet the legal limit for number of games."

If the game is canceled, Virginia would have a 14-day hiatus after its game against North Carolina (April 8) and before its regular-season finale against Bellarmine (April 22).

"We've obviously had some success here early, so we're in pretty good stead in terms of [number of wins]," Starsia said, "but you hate to go too long without playing a real game."

 

Cavs' offensive line in flux
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
April 1, 2006

Fans that trickle out today to watch the first open football practice of the spring may notice a changing of the guard. And the center. And the tackle.
Three household names - Brian Barthelmes, Brad Butler and D'Brickashaw Ferguson - are gone from Virginia's offensive line and left guard Branden Albert is sitting out the spring to focus on academics.

That leaves right guard Marshal Ausberry as the lone incumbent in spring practice and a host of players battling to move onto or up the depth chart.

"Everybody knows that quality play is based on line play," said Virginia coach Al Groh. "On our offensive line, we've lost 60 percent of our offensive line. Those three players are 60 percent of the line that played the better part of 3 ? to four seasons for us."

Barthelmes, who was a jack-of-all-trades during his career, leaves a vacancy at center that could be filled by Ian-Yates Cunningham or Jordy Lipsey.

Groh has made it known that he would like to have the position battle for the "pivot position" solved by the start of training camp in August.

"We always welcome competition," Groh said. "We talk about that all the time and we want it on an on-going basis, but by the same token, the sooner you can get some things established the better, rather than letting it overflow into training camp time.

"It is important that you get some continuity in the exchange and the guy that the quarterback is going to be working with."

Cunningham, who played in seven games last year, may have the early lead.

"We all saw a very concerted effort on the part of Ian throughout the course the offseason program to kind of really step forward in a lot of different areas," Groh said. "You can't make any judgments off the [first spring practice], because there is no contact, but I'd say he got off to a good start."

Should Cunningham lose the position battle to Lipsey, the junior from Texas could see playing time at guard.

With Albert out, Groh said he intends to work seniors Gordie Sammis and Jeff Schrad, junior David Fairbrothers and redshirt freshman Patrick Slebonick into the mix.

While many expect Eugene Monroe to start at tackle, Groh is going to take a close look at redshirt freshman Will Barker and rising sophomore Zak Stair.

Groh said he would like to get Barker "trained at both sides," and expects Stair to play primarily on the left side.

EXTRA POINTS: Groh said during a teleconference on Friday that junior Allen Billyk has passed Keenan Carter on the depth chart as nose tackle. Carter, also a rising junior, has made 42 tackles in 21 games, but Groh said he would "like to see the motor run a little faster." ? Billyk is up to 285 pounds. ? Today's open practice starts at noon. Sunday's practice, which is also open the public, starts at 2:45 p.m. The spring game is April 22 at 3:30 p.m. at Scott Stadium.

 

Brackman, Pack dunk Cavs
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
April 1, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. ?- Andrew Brackman knows a thing or two about alley-oops.
So when his teammates gave him seven runs in the fifth inning, the 6-foot-10 right-handed pitcher said he had no choice but to finish it off.

Brackman, who plays on the basketball team at N.C. State, pitched six solid innings, striking out 10 Virginia batters, as the Wolfpack beat Virginia 10-2 at Doak Field.

UVa drops to 24-6 overall and 6-4 in the ACC, while N.C. State (23-8, 6-4 ACC) snapped a four-game league losing streak.

It was just the fourth appearance of the season for Brackman (1-2), who played in the NCAA Tournament just two weeks ago for N.C. State coach Herb Sendek.

"Brackman is good. I think he had his good stuff tonight," said UVa coach Brian O'Connor. "I don't think he is quite there yet, but you can tell why he is so highly thought off. It was tough to string some hits together off the guy."

Sean Doolittle, Virginia's ace, had his worst outing of the season - the sophomore gave up seven hits and six runs (four earned) in four innings. Doolittle was chased from the game in the fifth inning after allowing the first four batters to reach base.

One of the batters, N.C. State catcher Caleb Mangum, reached on an error by Virginia left fielder Brandon Guyer, who misplayed a pop fly in shallow left-center after a long run to chase the ball down.

"The game came down to one inning - the fifth inning," O'Connor said. "Sean Doolittle didn't have his best stuff and he's not perfect. He is going to have some bad days and he tried to keep us in the ball game, but N.C. State kind of opened the gates in the fifth inning.

"Brandon Guyer didn't make a play in left field that was tough to make and it changed the complexion of the whole inning."

UVa had opened the scoring in the game in the fourth as Guyer crossed the plate on an RBI single by Tom Hagan, who scored later in the inning on a balk by Brackman.

The Cavaliers could have added more in the frame, but Brackman struck out Greg Miclat with a runner at third.

"We thought we had a chance to break something open," O'Connor said, "but Brackman buckled down and made some good pitches."

N.C. State answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth as Jon Still delivered a two-run single to center field.

"I thought the biggest thing of the game tonight for our guys, and I give them a lot of credit, was after [Virginia] got the two runs off Andrew," said N.C. State coach Elliott Avent. "Knowing how tough Doolittle is - he one of the toughest pitchers in this league - to bounce right back out there and get two runs, that to me was a big point in this game."

It didn't hurt Avent to have Brackman throwing strikes. The sophomore lost on Sunday at Clemson and the coach admitted that he wanted to get the two-sport star back to the mound as quick as possible.

"Andrew Brackman came off the basketball bus last year throwing strikes," Avent said. "We were all like 'How's the guy do this?' First of all, the guy is 6-foot-10, so how does he throw strikes anyway. Secondly, how do play basketball all year and come off the bus and throw strikes.

"This year he hasn't been doing it. We just wanted to get him back out there. We were just guessing actually and he looked a little better. He did a good job tonight."

Brackman said he is just happy to be getting "more comfortable" on the mound.

"I was still throwing pretty hard in the later innings and my arm wasn't tired," said Brackman, who threw 105 pitches. "It was just good to get back onto the mound and get back into the swing of things.

"Virginia is a very good team. They swept Clemson and we got swept by Clemson."

For the game, Virginia managed just four hits, three of which came in the fourth inning.

N.C. State had 13 hits, including nine in the middle innings.

"I don't think Doolittle had his real good fastball that he typically does, and they are a great hitting team. They are hitting .350 for a reason," O'Connor said. "When Doolittle doesn't have his best stuff and you are on the road against a great opponent it is going to be difficult to win."

The two teams will play the second game in the three-game series today at 7 p.m.

Virginia will start freshman Jacob Thompson (5-1, 2.00 ERA), while N.C. State will counter with freshman southpaw Eric Surkamp (2-1, 3.86 ERA).

 

Duke developments dominate discourse
Cavaliers' attention isn't squarely on game with No. 3 Maryland
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Apr 1, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- No. 1-ranked Virginia meets No. 3 Maryland in men's lacrosse this afternoon in College Park, Md. Typically that would be a big deal, but the firestorm at Duke has pushed today's ACC showdown into the background.

"We've spent more time talking about this than we've talked about the University of Maryland," U.Va. coach Dom Starsia said.

Duke's president, Richard Brodhead, announced Tuesday that the university had indefinitely suspended its lacrosse team's season in the wake of a March 13 incident at an off-campus party in Durham, N.C.

Team members have been accused of sexually assaulting a woman at the party, and authorities obtained DNA samples from 46 of the Blue Devils' 47 players. Durham police are investigating the criminal allegations, which the players deny. No charges have been filed.

The lacrosse community is a tight one, and it's been rocked by the allegations, which have received intense coverage in the national news media, and by the protests at Duke this week.

"When you hear about lacrosse now, that's the story that pops up, and it's something that we're seeing every day," U.Va. attackman Matt Ward said after practice yesterday. "You try not to think about it all the time, but whenever you're looking at things, that's what's there."

If Starsia, a father of four, spoke to his players only about lacrosse, he said, he wouldn't be doing his job. Still, by any standard, this week has been unusual.

"The behavior of our kids as members of the community is something we talk about all the time . . . acting responsibly, treating people respectfully," Starsia said. "But very specifically, we met on Tuesday to do film study, and we spent more time talking about this event than we did Maryland, to be honest, and it's come up every day since then."

Ward, a senior from Oakton, is one of the Cavaliers' captains, along with senior midfielder J.J. Morrissey and senior defenseman Mike Culver. The situation at Duke has dominated the Cavs' conversations this week.

"We know that people are going to be looking at us to see everything we do," Ward said. "We've definitely told kids on the team that we're having a great season so far and let's not do anything to jeopardize that. That could be just the smallest thing now, because everything you do is being looked at. We just have to keep thinking with our heads, and if our teammates are looking out for each other, I think we'll be all right."

Each Thursday during the season, Starsia's team gathers for a ritual called the Last Word, in which a senior addresses his teammates. It was Morrissey's turn this week.

"I talked about how the Duke thing has been kind of a blow to the lacrosse community," Morrissey said. "It was about we need to honor this game" by acting responsibly.

Ward, like several players on Duke's roster, graduated from Landon School in Bethesda, Md.

"I've talked to some of them," Ward said, "but I've tried to talk to them about other things. . . . They're friends of mine, and I'm just trying to look out for them and hope that they're doing all right."

Ward said only the people who were at the party know what really took place.

"I'm not one to speculate what happened or what didn't happen," he said, "but it's something that's going to bring a lot of attention to lacrosse, certainly not the attention that a lot of us were hoping for our sport to gain."

Duke, last year's NCAA runner-up, entered this season as the nation's top-ranked team. In anticipation of the Blue Devils' scheduled April 15 visit to Charlottesville, U.Va. set the starting time for 7 p.m. at Klockner Stadium.

"We put the game at night because we thought that would be the big game of the year," Starsia said.

Now, however, it seems unlikely that the game will be played.

Terps to face No. 1 Cavs
Georgetown heads to Navy, awaits NCAA ruling on Duke game
By Gary Lambrecht
Sun reporter
Originally published April 1, 2006
College lacrosse

Maryland men's lacrosse coach Dave Cottle has a proven defense and an impressive stable of athletes overall, and he probably will need both elements to shine today for the No. 3 Terrapins to upset the No. 1 team in the country.

As midseason approaches, the Virginia Cavaliers (9-0) look like the class of the NCAA.

With an array of scoring threats led by attackmen Matt Ward and Ben Rubeor and midfielders Kyle Dixon and Matt Poskay, Virginia averages 15 goals and 52 shots a game, and revels in making the extra pass. With a big, athletic defense led by senior Michael Culver and junior Ricky Smith, and featuring freshmen Mike Timms and Matt Kelly the Cavs can hunker down in a six-on-six game or extend their pressure to wreak havoc and ignite their transition game. Virginia is allowing just 6.8 goals a game.

"They are the only team I've seen out there that can outscore you and stop you [equally well]," Cottle said. "They've really dominated ground balls. They've owned the middle of the field. They throw the hardest skip pass in lacrosse."

Although the Terps (6-1) have some dynamic scorers, led by senior attackman Joe Walters and senior midfielder/attackman Xander Ritz, Maryland's bread and butter is its defense. With junior goalie Harry Alford, junior defenseman Steve Whittenberg and an excellent defensive midfield rotation setting the tone, Maryland has allowed just five goals a game.

"We've got to win some individual battles [on defense]," Cottle said. "We can't slide to a hundred different guys. We have to limit their transition and make them earn every goal."

A shootout does not favor Maryland, which edged the Cavs, 8-7, in overtime in last year's ACC tournament semifinals and will not be intimidated by Virginia, a familiar opponent.

But Maryland, which averages nine goals and has sputtered for lengthy stretches on offense this year, may need to reach double digits to hand Virginia its first loss. That probably means the Terps can't afford another quiet scoring day from the likes of sophomore attackman Max Ritz (six goals) or senior midfielders Brendan Healy (five goals) and Bill McGlone (nine goals).

Hokies, Cavs remain committed to New Jersey
Record-setting Banjoman to Hargrave
Doug Doughty

The addition of four new coaches to the football staffs at Virginia and Virginia Tech could have as big an impact in recruiting as it does on the field.

Of course, that’s always the case, but the departure of Tech quarterback coach Kevin Rogers was particularly interesting because of the success Rogers has had recently in New Jersey, home to three Hokies signees this past winter, all rated among the top 12 prospects in the state.

Until 2004, it was the practice of Tech head coach Frank Beamer to have every member of his staff recruit at least one area of Virginia. That year, Beamer agreed to let Rogers concentrate on New Jersey and the Hokies were able to sign Jahre Cheesman, a Voorhees, N.J., running back who currently is getting a look at cornerback.

This year, Tech signed defensive end Jason Adjepong (6-3, 248) from Carteret, N.J.; defensive end Mike Gee (6-1, 228) from Englewood, N.J.; and wide receiver Zach Luckett (6-3, 190) from Mays Landing, N.J.

You had to figure that the Hokies would continue to recruit in New Jersey and recruiting coordinator Jim Cavanaugh, a New Yorker with a New Jersey recruiting background, was the obvious choice. The question was, would Cavanaugh recruit New Jersey exclusively?

The answer is no. Cavanaugh not only will recruit New Jersey, but he will keep the Richmond and Newport News/Hampton areas that he has mined so successfully for the Hokies. AND, he will go north on I-95 toward Fredericksburg, taking over the areas vacated by departed assistant Danny Pearman.

When Cavanaugh will have time for the Tech whips and rovers is anybody’s guess.

“I’ve had a cataract operation, too,” Cavanaugh said Friday. “I knew I had the cataract, but they told me, ‘You need the operation now.’ Don’t worry. I had it done on an off day. I didn’t miss any time.”

I can’t say I was surprised that Cavanaugh kept Newport News and Hampton, although new assistant Curt Newsome would have been a natural to take over in those areas. Instead, Newsome will move into south Hampton Roads – Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, etc.

Those areas previously were recruited by Bryan Stinespring, the Hokies’ offensive coordinator, who last year assumed the Roanoke Valley and also has greater Lynchburg and Hargrave Military Academy.

When Cavanaugh kept his in-state territory and added New Jersey, you might have thought that Beamer was going back to his old strategy and would have all of his coaches accountable for at least one portion of Virginia. However, the new Hokies’ quarterback coach, Mike O’Cain, will have areas in only North Carolina and South Carolina.

Cavanaugh did give up a parcel that he was recruiting in North Carolina, where O’Cain, Charley Wiles and newcomer Kevin Sherman all will have areas. Sherman also will recruit in Maryland. Torrian Gray will assume ex-coach Whammy Ward’s area in Northern Virginia.

THE COACHING LOSSES AT Virginia included some of the Cavaliers’ top recruiters, although, in new defensive coordinator Mike London, UVa will be regaining the services of its former recruiting coordinator.

London previously recruited in Newport News and Hampton and is highly respected in that area, although the Cavaliers have had marginal success there in recent years. Danny Rocco had recruited that area for the past year for UVa but did not have the same background as London, a Bethel High School graduate.

New Jersey was a question for Virginia, too, after the departure of defensive coordinator Al Golden, the new head coach at Temple, and his longtime associate, Mark D’Onofrio. D’Onofrio previously had been the recruiting coordinator at Rutgers, so the Cavaliers hit the Golden State hard.

Fact is, the Cavaliers had three assistant coaches in New Jersey, including recruiting coordinator Mike Groh. Groh will be joined by new assistant Bobby Diaco, who, like Groh, played high-school ball in New Jersey. UVa players describe Diaco as a high-energy, go-getter, also the attributes of a good recruiter.

I’m told that Virginia hasn’t solidified all of its recruiting areas, but running backs coach Anthony Poindexter was instrumental in the commitment the Cavaliers received from Max Milien, a running back from Yorktown High School in Arlington.

Golden previously represented the Cavaliers in Northern Virginia, where they have enjoyed mixed success but did land Group AAA player of the year Keith Payne, an Oakton High School running back, this year. From the time he joined the staff, the affable and energetic Poindexter has been viewed as a potential recruiting star. Sending him to Northern Virginia would be a wise move.

What appears likely from preliminary conversations is that the Cavaliers will increase their presence in Florida with new assistant coach Steve Bernstein and holdover John Garrett, who also will have an area of Virginia after previously serving mostly as an evaluator.

THE LEADING RUSHER in the Valley District, Broadway High School’s Seth Hardesty, considered Bridgewater and Hampden-Sydney before making an oral commitment to Division II Shippensburg (Pa.) University.

Hardesty, who rushed for 1,771 yards and scored 17 touchdowns this past season, was rated the No. 100 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times. He expects to play fullback in Shippensburg’s wing-T formation, based on a report in the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record.

Among the players said to be headed to Hargrave Military Academy are Warren County running back H.J. Banjoman, who was rated No. 2 on The Roanoke Times’ “waiting list” of players with top 25 potential but uncertain eligibility status. Banjoman set a state record for all levels by rushing for 2,607 yards in the regular season.

Hargrave is also the likely destination of Portsmouth Norcom tight end Ben Finney, who was rated 99th among the state’s top football prospects but plans to play basketball in college after averaging 26.2 points and 13.2 rebounds this past season.

Fredericksburg sports editor Steve DeShazo reports that Division II Virginia Union signed Spotsylvania linebacker Steve Johnson, ranked 52nd among the state’s top prospects.



 

It's time to get to truth of Duke scandal
TOM SORENSEN

I don't know much about lacrosse. Maybe it only seems as if a team is not complete unless it features players named Chip, Chad, Carter, Biff and Gray. The monikers suggest khaki pants and wide-striped rugby shirts, late-night keg parties and late-morning lattes, good old frat boys having a good old frat-boy time.

Now a woman emerges, saying members of the lacrosse team at Duke raped her two weeks ago. In the meantime, players appeared reluctant to assist in the investigation -- a situation that reeked of rich-boy, frat-boy arrogance and entitlement.

The team's three captains talked to Durham police officers, and none brought an attorney. A meeting was scheduled so the rest of the team could do the same. But a few hours before it was to convene, a lawyer called to cancel. He said the players would not show up and they had hired legal counsel.

The players' lawyers said Thursday the players had not been asked to talk to police.

Everybody, rich and poor, athlete and non-athlete, frat boy and non-frat boy, is entitled to a fair shake from the criminal justice system.

You think the woman who says members of the lacrosse team raped her at a party is entitled, too?

This isn't the usual Duke vs. North Carolina, Cameron Crazies vs. Roy's boys, J.J. vs. the world banter. The Blue Devils-Tar Heels rivalry is interesting and passionate and not terribly important.

This -- getting at the truth of what happened to the woman -- is essential.

Think about what a university such as Duke represents. It's a collection of very bright people, a place where ideas fly faster than any fastbreak ever could. You learn in class, out of class, through osmosis.

Students compete and evolve until they are ready to go forth and make lots of money and, one hopes, bring their ideas into a world that can desperately use them.

Here's an idea. Figure out why, amid all that intellectual curiosity, the lacrosse team has turned troglodyte. Nobody likes a mime.

Can the school force the athletes to be more cooperative? Is there an icon on campus who can influence them? What about parents?

At the very least, the school can lean on them. Lacrosse is a surprisingly rough and demanding sport, and to get as little attention as the athletes do -- until recently -- they have to love it. If they don't talk, why would Duke ever let these guys represent it again?

A team has leaders. Have theirs invoked the dreaded all for one and one for all standard?

The woman worked for an escort service. An N.C. Central student, she thought she would dance for a few men, police reports say.

Maybe the folks who hired her had nothing more in mind than college highjinks, a tastelessly good time. Athletes have them, non-athletes, too.

But what the dancer alleges has nothing to do with a good time. Rape is as heinous as it is cowardly.

Whether rape was committed, we don't know. But now is the time for Chip, Chad and Carter and the fellows to tell what they know.

 

Timelines at alleged rape site questioned
March 30, 2006
By Dan E. Way and John Stevenson, The Herald-Sun

Two Durham police officers were investigating a reported disturbance at a Duke lacrosse party just 16 minutes before the alleged victim of a gang-rape there showed up at a grocery store more than 2 miles away to call for help.

But police found nothing at the scene, a police spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, the district attorney began downplaying a link between the results of DNA tests that are expected as early as next week and any possible charges. He also said the DNA test results might not be made public when they return from the state forensics lab.

The lacrosse players and their attorneys have said the test results would prove the rape allegations are false. Police, applying for a court order compelling the DNA samples from 46 players, said the tests would "show conclusive evidence as to who the suspect(s) are in the alleged violent attack upon this victim."

Police arrived at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. just two minutes after a woman called 911 to report she and her black friend had been verbally accosted by men outside the house yelling a racial slur early on March 14, according to computer dispatch records.

"Officers responded to the call at 610 N. Buchanan within a minute of the dispatch. The complainant was not on the scene and no one seemed to be at the house, according to the officers, so they cleared the scene after checking the area for several minutes," said police spokeswoman Kammie Michael.

The dispatch records show officers were on the scene for more than 11 minutes.

"Where are all these white guys raising hell?" asked an incredulous James D. "Butch" Williams, who represents a lacrosse captain who lived at the house and voluntarily submitted to a DNA test shortly after one of two exotic dancers hired to entertain at the party said she was raped, sodomized and beaten by three white men there. "When the people start digging the least little bit, they're gong to find out things don't make sense."

Williams attended a news conference in Raleigh on Thursday with three other attorneys representing the 46 lacrosse players who gave DNA samples to investigators. None of the players has been charged.

"We believe that the DNA will show that it is not true. We believe that a full and complete and fair investigation will show that it is not true," said attorney Joe Cheshire of Raleigh.

Cheshire said Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong and police have created a mob mentality that has tainted the men "before the evidence has all come out in a way that they will never recover." Vigils and protests, newspaper letters to the editor and local blogs all have been harshly critical of the players, whose season has been suspended.

But Williams questioned the strength of the evidence. He implied Thursday that the 911 calls might have been a scam and that the entire incident was staged.

In her call reporting the racial slur, the unidentified woman offered different versions of the incident. She variously said she had driven by the house, had walked by the house and was sitting in front of the house at the time she was talking to the 911 dispatcher. She initially said one male near the Duke wall hurled the racial epithet, and later said a group of people came out of 610 N. Buchanan yelling at her and her friend. The wall and the house are on opposite sides of a dimly lit street.

"There are a number of discrepancies that point toward a contrived situation -- maybe," said Williams.

The attorney said he didn't know why anyone might perpetrate such a potential hoax.

"I can't speak to speculation," he added. "But once you tell one lie, you've got to tell another and another and another. You're caught up in a web of lies."

According to official police logs obtained by The Herald-Sun, the first 911 call was received at 12:53. a.m. on March 14, and the first officer arrived at 610 N. Buchanan at 12:55 a.m. A second unit responded, and both departed by 1:06 a.m.

The second 911 call, from the Kroger store on Hillsborough Road, initially was dispatched as an intoxicated person but later was changed to a rape case allegedly involving those at the lacrosse party. The call was placed at 1:22 a.m., 27 minutes after the police arrived to investigate the first 911 call and 16 minutes after they left the scene. The Kroger store is 2.3 miles from 610 N. Buchanan.

The second caller later told police that she had found the victim walking on North Buchanan and then drove her to the store to get help.

Williams, who has a private investigator working on the case, noted that the Police Department is closer -- nine-tenths of a mile away -- than the Kroger store and wondered why the victim would have been driven to a grocery store farther away.

Michael, the police spokeswoman, was quoted in a published report saying the woman who drove to the Kroger store was the second exotic dancer hired by the lacrosse players. Earlier Michael told The Herald-Sun the driver was not the second dancer.

Nifong had no comment Thursday on defense attorneys' claims of inconsistencies in the first 911 call, nor on the proximity of times between the first and second 911 calls and the police response.

"I'm not going to talk about that right now," said Nifong. "I don't see it as an issue that would affect the way I prosecute this case. Right now, I'm just trying to get into a position where we can charge somebody or conclude that no one will be charged."

Nifong said he had spoken with the State Bureau of Investigation on Thursday and was assured that DNA test results from the case still might be available next week, as originally predicted.

"In this instance, we wouldn't have as strong a case without DNA, but it wouldn't necessarily be a no-case situation either," he said.

Even if there is no DNA match with any of the lacrosse players, it still is "absolutely possible" that charges might be lodged, according to Nifong.

"What did we use before we had DNA?" he asked. "We relied basically on identification of defendants by victims."

However, Nifong declined to say whether the alleged rape victim was able to identify any of the lacrosse players by sight.

The district attorney said it was unlikely he would make DNA test results immediately available to the public.

And if charges arise in the case, it isn't yet known if they will originate through grand jury indictments or through normal arrest warrants, according to Nifong.

He said that, in addition to any possible rape charges, some lacrosse players at the party -- but not all of them -- might be accused of acting in concert with the rapists or aiding and abetting them.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

 

Tension spreads in lacrosse case
Woman who wrote about rowdy behavior says she has been banned from bar
Jane Stancill and Anne Blythe, Staff Writers

A woman who wrote about seeing lacrosse players slamming down shots of alcohol and shouting "Duke Lacrosse" at a bar two days after they submitted DNA samples in a rape case said Friday that she is no longer welcome in the popular watering hole and has been kicked off the bar's softball team.
The reaction is one more example of flaring tensions from the investigation into whether a woman was raped at a Duke University lacrosse team party.

On Friday afternoon in front of 610 N. Buchanan Blvd., the site of the March 13 team party, a painted toilet disparaging violence against women was in the front yard. Painted on the toilet bowl in red was: "Don't use us as a toilet." The message on the tank was "Flush hate."

Later in the day, police quickly broke up a party attended by some members of the team at a house several doors down from the one where a woman said she was raped last month.

Jill Hopman, a 2005 graduate of Duke and a UNC-Chapel Hill law student who wrote about seeing rowdy behavior at Charlie's Neighborhood Bar & Grille, said she doesn't regret speaking up and has received an outpouring of community support.

Her article appeared in Duke's student newspaper, The Chronicle, and she wrote a letter to the editor of The Herald-Sun newspaper.

A woman who answered the phone at Charlie's on Friday said she could not comment on the incident because she knew nothing about it. The manager was not available.

Hopman said she was surprised by the bar's reaction.

"Are these guys serious?" she asked Friday. "I'm being banned for saying, 'Hey, respect the Durham community.' "

Meanwhile, lacrosse players tried to carry on with their lives Friday under the spotlight of national and local media.

They practiced on the field next to Duke's Koskinen Stadium for a couple of hours. For the first 30 minutes of practice, TV cameras and newspaper photographers followed every move.

The team is uncertain, though, whether it will play more matches this season, since Duke officials announced Tuesday that there would be no more competitive play until the case is resolved.

"It's weighing on their shoulders, but it's kind of returned to business as usual," said Art Chase, Duke sports information director.

As the case gets more attention across the country, people in Durham continue to plan events.

N.C. Central University students planned for a vigil and other events on campus that will begin at 6 p.m. Monday to support the accuser, a fellow student.

 

Any lacrosse charges 10 days away
DNA Tests: Prosecutors do not intend to release DNA test results.
Benjamin Niolet, Staff Writer

District Attorney Mike Nifong said Friday that no charges will be filed in the investigation of a report of rape at a Duke University lacrosse party until at least the week of April 10. He also said he won't release DNA results that had been expected next week.
The tests, which are comparing the DNA of 46 lacrosse players with samples taken from the accuser as well as from towels, rags and rugs in the house where the party was held, could be completed next week, Nifong said.

But Nifong said he had no plans to announce the state's evidence before a trial.

"That's just not how we do business, and I would not anticipate that we would treat this case any differently," Nifong said in an interview.

If charges are filed, the test results would have to be given to defense lawyers and presumably would be introduced at trial.

Prominent Raleigh lawyer Joseph B. Cheshire V, who represents one of the team captains, said it isn't fair for Nifong to publicly talk about the case and whether the players were involved, and then not reveal the test results. The captains' attorneys have said they expect the team to be cleared by DNA.

"He'll say whatever he wants to say in public, but he won't say in public what the evidence is," Cheshire said. "Historically, the standard has been in Durham that prosecutors don't go out and call people guilty before they get all the evidence against them."

Nifong said Friday that he will be out of town three days next week for a district attorneys conference. If charges are filed, he said, he probably would announce them at a news conference -- and the soonest he would do that is the week of April 10.

The case has rocked the university and city and stirred tensions over race and class. The accuser is black and a student at N.C. Central University, and she said she was raped by three white men.

It is The News and Observer's policy not to identify people who tell police they have been sexually assaulted.

Nifong said Friday that he is confident in the woman's story.

"I am satisfied that she was sexually assaulted at this residence," he said.

On March 13, two women were hired to dance at the team party, each from a different escort service, according to Durham police spokeswoman Kammie Michael. Police will not say which service the accuser worked for, but she said the other woman worked for a company called Allure.

Just before 1 a.m. that night, someone called 911 and complained that people outside the house, which had been leased by three lacrosse players, had shouted racial slurs. The rape was reported about 30 minutes later.

One of the players' attorneys, James "Butch" Williams of Durham, has said the first call was suspicious and might have been part of a setup.

Nifong dismissed that theory, saying a hoax would have to include faking injuries to the woman's body. A doctor and nurse determined after the incident that she had signs and symptoms consistent with her story.

"If this is all a hoax that was ... designed to get the lacrosse team ... what other major lacrosse program is behind that hoax? The presumed motivation would be to end the season of the Duke lacrosse team, and that's obviously been accomplished," Nifong said. "Seriously, when you think about it, who would be motivated to do a hoax like that? What possible reason would somebody have to do that?"

Police do not know who placed the first 911 call about the racial slur, although Michael said it was not the accuser. After the attack was said to have occurred, the second dancer drove the accuser to a grocery store, where a security guard called 911. Police responded, and the woman reported a rape.

Two days later, officers searched the home. Police have said they used those two days to interview the victim, witnesses and residents of the house to build probable cause for a search warrant. Nifong would not comment on why the delay happened, but he said that because of it, investigators could have missed some evidence.

For instance, if condoms were used, Nifong said, those would have been gone before the search.

"Obviously, any delay would give an opportunity for somebody to clean up if they were inclined to do so, or felt there was something they didn't want left behind," Nifong said.

(Staff writers Anne Blythe and Samiha Khanna contributed to this report.)