U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Apr 1, 2006

HE'S NO. 1: Football coach Al Groh said yesterday that he'd like to have a two-man rotation at tailback this fall. Heading the depth chart this spring is Jason Snelling, a 5-11, 233-pound rising senior who played fullback for most of his first three seasons at U.Va.
Click here.

Snelling, who was an All-Metro tailback at L.C. Bird High, has carried 93 times for 552 yards and three touchdowns as a Cavalier. He's caught 55 passes for 493 yards and four TDs.

"I think it would be fair to say that Jason probably has an advantage over the others, because of his veteran status and, particularly, his production," Groh said. "But outside of that, it's all equal."

U.Va.'s other tailbacks this spring are Cedric Peerman, the oft-injured Michael Johnson and Mikell Simpson, a freshman who redshirted last season.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Virginia's most experienced nose tackle is Keenan Carter, a rising junior who made 25 tackles last season. The starter at that position so far, however, is another rising junior, 6-4, 285-pound Allen Billyk.

Billyk played defensive end last season and made eight tackles.

Carter, Groh said yesterday, "leaves me wanting for more right now." Asked to elaborate, Groh said, "I guess the way to say it would be, we'd like to see the motor run a little faster."

PLAYING CATCH-UP: In January, quarterback Jameel Sewell discussed his goals for 2006 in an interview. "I kind of feel that I should be at the top as long as academics don't hold me back or anything like that," Sewell told The Times-Dispatch.

Sewell, a Hermitage High graduate, redshirted as a freshman last season. He may yet win the starting job this year, but he began spring practice behind veterans Christian Olsen and Kevin McCabe.

The second half of last season, to accelerate Sewell's development, U.Va.'s coaching staff began giving him turns with the first-team offense in practice.

"That was profitable for him," Groh said, but "that didn't mean we were going to zoom him to the top."

BANGED UP: U.Va.'s all-ACC point guard, Sean Singletary, might need surgery on the hip he injured early in the season, coach Dave Leitao said this week. Singletary missed only game during the season, but the injury bothered him throughout.

"We've got some more evaluations coming up," Leitao said. "I think when he fell on it, from the way it looks, there may or may be some loose stuff in there . . . like you would have in an elbow or a knee. We'll see what rest does to it and then continue to have the doctors look at it to see if there's anything further [required]."

Singletary will return to U.Va. for his junior year. But leaving early for the NBA might be an option for him next year.

"I think that's the way of the world in college basketball right now: If you are good when you're young, there's always going to be a thought -- even if it's not a thought in the kid's mind -- it's a thought in somebody's mind who's around that person," Leitao said. "And so what I've decided to do with Sean is be proactive enough to talk about it with him, as opposed to hiding and acting like it's not there, and say,'Hey, let's walk through this together.'

"I think he knows and believes that I'll always do what's in his best interest. And if that ever happens to be a decision that he'd have to make, then he can rely on me as much as anybody to give him an honest assessment of where he's at in his career."

IN THE CREASE: In men's lacrosse, top-ranked Virginia (9-0) has beaten perennial powers Syracuse, Princeton and Johns Hopkins this season. Now comes a date with third-ranked Maryland this afternoon in College Park.

"This is the best team we've played so far this season, no question," Cavaliers coach Dom Starsia said.

Four ACC schools play men's lacrosse. This is the conference opener for Virginia, which plays at North Carolina next Saturday and is scheduled to entertain Duke on April 15. The Terrapins already have beaten UNC and Duke, so they can clinch the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament with a victory today.

OFF THE PACE: In the Directors' Cup standings released March 23, Virginia was 29th, behind No. 22 Virginia Tech, among other schools. Still to be awarded are points for several other winter sports.

U.Va. came out of the fall in 16th place, but its winter teams struggled. Virginia, which traditionally fares best in the spring sports, finished 16th overall in 2004-05.

The Directors' Cup competition, sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, reflects schools' performances in NCAA championships. -- Jeff White

Touted Zimmerman has rocketed from U.Va. to the majors
BY BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

VIERA, Fla. One of the first things Ryan Zimmerman learned last September was where to sit on the bus. Don't laugh. This is important stuff when you're breaking in with the major-league club -- the Washington Nationals in Zimmerman's case -- and you're several weeks shy of your 21st birthday and wish not to breach protocol.

Zimmerman sat in the middle of the bus. The front and back, he noticed, are reserved for the veterans. Even now, as the Nationals' presumed starter at third base, he doesn't think he'll attempt to switch seats.

"Probably not," he said with a laugh. "I'm still going to be the young guy, which is fine by me."

This was Zimmerman's first spring training. He was a junior at the University of Virginia a year ago at this time. Picked fourth in the June draft, he quickly advanced from Class A Savannah to Double-A Harrisburg to a September call-up to the majors. He made an immediate impact.

"He's one of those kids," Nationals catcher Brian Schneider said. "You know when a kid's got talent, but a lot of times you see 'em struggle with new surroundings. In his case, it was the total opposite. He's a kid who, if he doesn't open your eyes, your eyes are shut. He has a chance to be a star in this game."

Early returns suggest Schneider could be right. In 20 games and 58 at-bats, Zimmerman compiled a .397 average and vacuumed most everything hit his way. The Nationals were impressed enough to trade 2005 third baseman Vinny Castilla in the offseason and open the position for Zimmerman.

"Being up for a month really helped in terms of being able to know the guys," he said. "The baseball's really not that different. It's not that much tougher than Double-A, it's just magnified. Baseball's baseball. It's just the stage is bigger."

So are the stakes. The Nationals compete in the rugged National League East and were offensively challenged last season, when they went a surprising 81-81 but finished last. Zimmerman didn't hit any home runs in September and might need to show some pop with the bat to cement his place in the lineup. GM Jim Bowden didn't issue an unqualified endorsement.

"It's tough to say with a young player," Bowden said. "Sometimes, young players come in and struggle. What we expect from him is an above-average defensive player, someone who can hit .260 or .270 and maybe hit 12 home runs. Hopefully, he's ready. If not, we'll give someone else an opportunity."

Zimmerman, for his part, insists he doesn't feel burdened to establish himself. He says he's "not a big goal kind of guy," that he targets consistency ("I want to stay away from being hot for a month and cold for a month"), that he doesn't believe he needs to get out of the blocks swiftly.

"I'm not too worried about it," he said. "They wouldn't have made the trade [sending Castilla to the Padres] if they didn't think I could handle it. I'm not going to panic if the first few weeks I struggle a little bit. Just take it in stride and try to stay level."

He figures that finding a balance might be easier than it was last year, when his rapid rise was "definitely hectic at times." He slept on an air mattress in the living room of an apartment he shared with five other players during his brief stay in Harrisburg. He now has a place of his own in Alexandria. He's beginning to feel settled. He's not sweating the future.

"I'm very confident in myself," he said. "Do I realize I'm not going to hit .397 for the whole year? Yeah, I know that. But I feel I can hit. If I just continue to work hard, I think I can do it."

Fast and furious Cavs hammer Terrapins


By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
April 2, 2006



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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Before Saturday's game against Maryland, Virginia coach Dom Starsia compared playing the Terrapins to fighting your brother in the backyard.
Well, the way things turned out, little brother would have made a better analogy.

That's how Virginia, the No. 1 team in the country, treated third-ranked Maryland at Byrd Stadium.

From the opening faceoff, the Cavaliers dominated the Terrapins in every way possible. They were quicker, tougher and smarter.

The end result was a 15-5 thrashing that left Maryland dazed.

"Between the lines, they just beat us up," said Maryland goalie Harry Alford. "They got every ground ball. We knew they would be good but didn't expect them to be that quick. They're the most balanced team we've faced yet."

Virginia, playing in its ACC opener, improved to 10-0 - three games better than its previous best start in 1973 (7-0). With Cornell losing to Pennsylvania on Saturday, UVa is the only unbeaten team remaining in Division I.

No Virginia team has gone undefeated for an entire season. The Cavaliers have just three games left before the ACC Tournament, only two should their game against Duke on April 15 be canceled due to the ongoing rape investigation surrounding the Blue Devils.

"I'm surprised to hear that as long as Virginia has been playing lacrosse, this is the first time that they're 10-0," Starsia said. "I never in my wildest dreams thought we would be here at this point like this, but I don't sense that we're that excited about it.

"I think we fully understand that people remember what happens to teams in May, not March and April, so we just need to continue to improve. I sense we're smart enough to continue to do that. This could be the first of three chapters with [Maryland]."

Virginia, which plays next at North Carolina on Saturday, got off to a torrid start.

Just 15 seconds into the game, Kyle Dixon found an open Drew Thompson about 12 yards in front of Maryland's goal. Thompson rifled a shot past Alford for a 1-0 lead.

Goals by Matt Poskay, Ben Rubeor and Danny Glading put Virginia up 4-0 less than six minutes in.

A little over two minutes later, Rubeor scored again to put UVa up 5-0. The goal came in dramatic fashion. Alford, frustrated by his defense's inability to clear the ball, came out of his net and tried to do it himself. However, he ran into a huge check by Rubeor. Drew Garrison scooped up the loose ball and passed it back to Rubeor, who rifled the ball into the vacant goal.

Maryland (6-2) finally got on the scoreboard with 6:51 left in the first quarter on a goal by Xander Ritz, but Virginia responded with goals by Glading, Thompson, Rubeor and Matt Ward to take a 9-1 lead at the half.

"[Virginia] put a lot of pressure on our goalie and our defense, and then it just snowballed," said Maryland coach Dave Cottle.

A major key to Virginia's success was its defense. Goalie Kip Turner frustrated Maryland, recording a season-high 15 saves before giving way to backup Bud Petit at the start of the fourth quarter.

"This was my best game of the year I felt like," Turner said "There were a lot of inside shots that I made saves on that I wasn't making earlier in the year. I just feel comfortable now and a little better about my play.

"The defense is playing great for me and everything is clicking for us right now. To get off to a 5-0 [lead] is great. You can't ask for anything more than that."

The ability of Virginia's defensive unit to hold Joe Walters, Maryland's top gun, in check, was also a huge factor. Walters came into the game averaging four points per game, but was held to just an assist - thanks in large part to the play of Michael Culver.

"It was definitely a team effort," said a modest Culver. "I've played Joe a lot in the past. I have to give a lot of credit to my coaches. They really scouted him well, and we had a solid gameplan going in."

In the third quarter, Virginia picked up where it left off. Just 25 seconds in, Poskay scored to make it 10-1. Sixteen seconds later, J.J. Morrissey made it 11-1.

By the end of the quarter, even Maryland fans seemed to be enjoying the show that Virginia was putting on. There were plenty of "oohs" and "ahs" after a pretty passing display by Morrissey and Glading resulted in a Garret Billings goal.

"I thought the key was our play in the third quarter coming out of the locker room," Starsia said. "If they were going to make a run, that was the time. I thought we were there ready to answer it."

Virginia defeated Maryland 10-2 in its ACC opener last season but wound up losing to the Terrapins in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, 8-7.

For that reason, UVa players weren't about to throw any parades for themselves.

"We took some good shots early and challenged their goalie," said Rubeor, who led a well-balanced attack with four goals. "Sometimes, when you get a lead, you can just keep building on that. We just tried to use that momentum throughout the game."

 

Virginia outclasses Terps
Towson's Rubeor scores four as Cavaliers show Maryland why they're No. 1
By Mike Preston
Sun reporter
Originally published April 2, 2006

COLLEGE PARK // It was homecoming for Virginia attackman Ben Rubeor, and he put on quite a show. So did his Cavaliers teammates.

In one of the college lacrosse season's most highly anticipated matchups, No. 1 Virginia scored nine first-half goals and went on to a 15-5 rout of No. 3 Maryland yesterday before 6,103 at Byrd Stadium.

Rubeor, a sophomore from Towson, scored four goals, including two in the first five minutes of the game. He blew past Maryland sophomore defenseman Joe Cinosky outside the box for a goal with 9:34 left in the first quarter, then scored again when Terps goalie Harry Alford got caught outside the crease for an empty-net goal nearly two minutes later.

Rubeor's second goal made it 5-0, and the rest was history. Virginia (10-0) is off to its best start in school history, and the Cavaliers ended Maryland's three-game winning streak.

"Coming home is always fun, and that makes it a big game," Rubeor said. "But any game is big for this team, especially when you play a quality team like Maryland. I had my family and a couple of buddies I went to school with come down to see the game. It was good. It was a great game."

Maryland coach Dave Cottle didn't think so, and it's not good news for the rest of lacrosse. If the Cavaliers can tear apart Johns Hopkins and Maryland (6-2) on back-to-back weekends, who is left to knock them off?

Maryland's best hope of winning yesterday was to have defensemen Cinosky, Ray Megill and Steve Whittenberg stalemate with Cavaliers attackmen Rubeor, Matt Ward and Danny Glading. But the Terps couldn't stop the trio, or slow Virginia midfielders Matt Poskay and Drew Thompson, who along with Glading and Ward had two goals each.

Thompson scored 15 seconds into the game. Poskay scored 61 seconds later.

"I thought we made some mistakes early, they took advantage of them and the game kind of got out of whack," Cottle said. "We weren't going to win a 15-4 game. When they had nine goals in the first half, I knew we were in trouble. We kind of got stuck and tried to shoot our way out of trouble."

The Terps aren't great shooters in the first place, and they made Virginia goalie Kip Turner (15 saves) look unbeatable with some poor shots that lacked velocity and precision. Maryland outshot Virginia 46-37, but most of the Terps' shots were out of desperation.

While Turner played well and the Terps made him look even better, Alford struggled, but he also faced a lot of shots from point-blank range. Cottle changed goalies in the third quarter, but it made no difference. By then, Virginia was slowing the ball down on offense, working on situations for future games.

"We can play harder and smarter," Rubeor said. "Every game you're going to have mistakes, and you're going to have to work on them. We'll look back on this game and see where we messed up, and try to correct it."

Virginia coach Dom Starsia said: "I really didn't see this coming. In all honesty, I apologized to the team before the game because I didn't think I prepared them as well as I should have because we had some distractions.

"Maryland had some chances early, Kip stoned them, we capitalized on the other end and it started steamrolling. We played well today, but I have a veteran group. They know it's meaningless to be No. 1 on April 1. Everything has to happen in May."

Cottle was taking the same approach. The Terps might get at least one more shot at the Cavaliers in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Maryland has to find a way to counter Virginia's athleticism and speed.

"We got a good group of kids," Cottle said. "We're going to get better."

Men's Lacrosse Trounces Maryland 15-5
Cavaliers score 5 goals on first 7 shots to set early tone.

College Park, Md. - The top-ranked Virginia men's lacrosse team scored five opening period goals in the first seven-and-a-half minutes and rolled to a 15-5 victory over #3 Maryland this afternoon in College Park.

The Cavaliers' win in the ACC opener, is their 10th in a row as they continue on the hottest start in school history. Maryland falls to 6-2 overall this season.

The win is Virginia's biggest in the series since a 14-4 win in the national semifinals in 2003.

Six different Cavaliers had multi-goal performances led by Ben Rubeor's four goals.

Virginia came out remarkably hot on the offensive end scoring on five of their first seven shots. Drew Thompson got the Cavaliers going with a goal just 15 seconds in. He was followed a minute later by Matt Poskay, who scored his 20th of the season. Rubeor scored his first goal after five minutes elapsed and was followed a short time later by the first of two goals by freshman Danny Glading.

Rubeor added his second of the quarter with 7:31 left as the UVa lead grew to 5-0. Senior Xander Ritz ended the Virginia run with his 19th goal of the season at the 6:50 mark.

The Cavaliers scored four goals in the second period, while holding the Terrapins scoreless in the period. Virginia continued their torrid shooting in the second half with goals by Poskay and J.J. Morrissey in the first minute of the third quarter.

Virginia's lead grew to 13-1 before Maxwell Ritz scored Maryland's second goal with 5:03 remaining in the third period. His goal was Maryland's first in more than 31 minutes.

Kip Turner recorded a season-high 15 saves in three quarters of play before being replaced by Bud Petit, who made six saves in the fourth quarter.

Michael Culver led a stellar defensive effort by shutting down All-American attackman Joe Walters. Walters finished with just one assist in his least productive outing of the season and missed on all eight shots he took.

The Cavaliers stay on the road with a game next Saturday (April 8) against North Carolina at 2 pm.
 

Cavaliers Upset Duke 11-10
Ginger Miles makes 12 saves, including two in final four minutes on last two shots
Cavalier Defense Has Led Team to 9-2 Record, #4/6 Ranking

The Virginia Cavaliers rallied from a second-half two-goal deficit behind four consecutive draw controls and a 12-save performance from Ginger Miles to upset the previously undefeated No. 2/2 Duke Blue Devils 11-10 today (Apr. 1) in Durham, NC. No. 4/6 Virginia (10-2, 3-1 ACC) turned those four draw controls into four consecutive goals in a span of 3:10 to take a 10-8 lead, and in the final four minutes of the game Miles made two point-blank saves to preserve the lead. Offensively Virginia was led by Blair Weymouth's three draw controls, three goals and an assist as well as Whitaker Hagerman's two draws, two goals, and two assists. Jen Holden and Jessy Morgan each had four ground balls to lead the defensive effort while Holden added three caused turnovers and Morgan had two. Duke (9-1, 3-1 ACC) had a hat trick from Katie Chrest.

Weymouth's hat trick and assist give her 49 points this year, which ranks as the fourth-best point production for a first-year in school history. She ranks fifth in goals and third in assists.

The Blue Devils jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the first three minutes to take a 2-0 lead behind goals from Chrest and Michelle Menser. Virginia countered as Nikki Lieb scooped up a loose ball in the midfield and the Hoos brought the ball upfield where Jess Wasilewski dumped the ball into Tyler Leachman for a goal at 8:30. The Blue Devils won the draw but Morgan caused a turnover and picked up the ground ball to start a clear that saw Leachman dump the ball into Lieb for a goal at 9:43, tying the game at 2-2.

Leachman won the ensuing draw control and Virginia settled the ball briefly before Weymouth executed a perfect backdoor cut to score off an assist from Hagerman, putting the Cavaliers up 3-2 at 11:11. Duke answered with a goal from Leigh Jester two minutes later to tie the game again, and Rachel Sanford scored and then fed Kristen Waagbo to give the Blue Devils a two-goal lead at 23:20 at 5-3.

Weymouth won the ensuing draw and Hagerman gathered the rebound of her own saved shot, preserving possession for the Cavaliers. Virginia worked the ball back up top where Kim Connors fed Lieb as she backdoored her defender, and Lieb's goal at 24:26 pulled the Cavaliers within one. A Duke 8-meter goal from Carolyn Davis at 26:54 gave the Blue Devils a two-goal lead at 6-4 which they took into halftime.

A Chrest goal 1:12 into the second half gave Duke their largest lead of the game at 7-4, but the Cavaliers rallied immediately.

Hagerman won the draw and Virginia advanced the ball into the fan where it fell to the ground briefly right in front of the cage where Hagerman pounced on it and stuffed it into the cage for a goal at 32:17. Weymouth won the draw and took it directly to the goal, scoring 12 seconds after Hagerman to pull the Cavaliers within one at 7-6. Chrest completed her hat trick with a goal 43 seconds later to push the margin back to two at 8-6.

A Claire Bordley ground ball on a Duke overthrow gave Virginia possession just below the restraining line, and the Cavaliers executed a fast break strike that saw Hagerman feed Weymouth on the goal circle for a goal at 40:28 to cut the deficit to one. Leachman won the ensuing draw control and Virginia worked the ball behind the cage before Hagerman fed Kate Breslin, who was cutting down the arc. Breslin's shot bounced off the Duke keeper into the net for a goal at 41:35, tying the game.

Hagerman won the next draw and found Connors at the top of the fan, who drove straight into the cage for a goal at 42:04, putting the Cavaliers back on top at 9-8. Wasilewski won the next draw control with an incredibly scrappy effort and Virginia settled the ball in their attack zone before Weymouth rolled the crease and scored at 43:38, giving the Cavaliers a two-goal lead at 10-8. Duke's Davis scored her second goal of the game at 46:42 to pull the Blue Devils within one.

Duke won the draw control, but Holden forced a turnover behind the Virginia goal and the Cavaliers cleared the ball where they took some time off the clock. Duke gained possession but an errant pass was picked up by Morgan, who gave Virginia key possession. At the other end of the field, Megan O'Malley fed a cutting Wasilewski, who pushed the margin back to two with 6:40 left in regulation.

Bordley won the draw and the Cavaliers took a couple minutes off the clock before an errant pass gave the Blue Devils possession. A Caroline Cryer goal with 3:53 to play made it a one-goal game, and Duke won the ensuing draw. Miles made a save on the first attempt, and the Cavaliers cleared the ball where they took more time off the clock before another Virginia turnover gave Duke a final chance. Miles, however, was up to the task and made the save with 17 seconds on the clock, and the Cavaliers ran out the time to notch the upset.

The Blue Devils came into the game averaging 15 goals per game, but the Cavalier line defense of Holden, Morgan and Julie Hauser held Duke to just the ten goals, the second-lowest total for the Blue Devils in 2006.

With the win, Virginia improves to 10-2 and 3-1 in the ACC. The Cavaliers return home to face Old Dominion on Wednesday, April 5. Game time against the Monarchs is 7:00.

Big rally kills UVa
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
April 2, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. ? Virginia coach Brian O'Connor was willing to win or lose the series with Casey Lambert on the mound Saturday night at Doak Stadium.
Having lost the opening game of the three-game set to North Carolina State on Friday, O'Connor wanted to give his team a chance to win the series and that, he felt, was with the southpaw closer.

It was not to be.

In miraculous fashion, N.C. State rallied for six runs off Lambert in the final 2.2 innings to register a 10-9 victory over Virginia. Matt Camp delivered the game-winning blow ? the senior laced the first pitch he saw from Lambert off the left-field wall ? driving in Matt Payne from second base without a throw.

While N.C. State (24-8, 7-4 ACC) won the series, Virginia (24-7, 6-5 ACC) now looks to try and salvage the final game today at 1 p.m.

"Casey Lambert has been a bulldog for our team over the last two-plus years," O'Connor said, "and when the situation presents itself again, he will be right back out there."

Camp said he never thought he would get a chance to face Lambert, who entered the game with an 1.83 ERA, in the ninth.

N.C. State, which trailed 7-1 in the bottom of the fifth, scored four runs off Lambert (2-2) in the eighth and stayed alive in its final at-bat with back-to-back two-out singles.

That brought Camp, the Wolfpack leadoff hitter, to the plate.

"It was a fastball up and away, which is my favorite pitch," Camp said. "[Lambert] gave it to me, so I took it."

A wild celebration ensued for the home team. Long faces strolled around Virginia's dugout in disbelief.

"Virginia played a great ball game tonight and they did what they had to do, but just some things happened tonight," said N.C. State coach Elliott Avent, whose team has four walk-off wins in its last 11 games. "Brian O'Connor made every right move. He did all the right things and sometimes it just happens.

"Virginia played hard and they played well. That is just the way baseball is."

UVa appeared headed for its seventh win in league play after a lengthy five-run fifth inning that saw two different N.C. State pitchers, including starter Eric Surkamp, get chased from the game.

N.C. State clawed back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth and one more in the sixth as it chased Virginia starter Jacob Thompson from the game. Thompson, who went five innings and allowed four earned runs, struck out four N.C. State batters, while walking two.

O'Connor felt the lead was safe with his top two relievers ? Michael Schwimer and Lambert.

"Jacob pitched great, but his pitch count was up and you have your guys in the bullpen that you have confidence in," O'Connor said. "Schwimer came in and did a nice job in the sixth inning, but I had made the decision that if we had the lead after the sixth inning it was going to be Casey's game until the end."

Lambert was given two insurance runs, one in the seventh and one in the eighth, but that only delayed N.C. State's miracle comeback.

"Casey Lambert just couldn't close them out," O'Connor said. "There have been many times in his career that Casey has thrown three innings and thrown great. He just didn't make the pitches and fell behind in the count."

Virginia finished the game with 13 hits, one fewer than N.C. State. Five players had at least two hits for the Cavaliers, including a 3-for-3 performance from designated hitter Tom Hagan.

"Our team was ready to play," O'Connor said. "This is a very similar game to one that we lost to Georgia Tech on Saturday."

After dropping the first two games at Georgia Tech, UVa responded to win the final contest of the series.

"I told the team that we need to come back and respond like we did down at Georgia Tech three weeks ago," O'Connor said, "and come back ready to play that pivotal 'Sunday game.'"

Virginia will send southpaw Mike Ballard to the mound today.

 

Isn't it time to expand the field?
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
April 2, 2006

Scattershooting round Virginia athletics and the Final Four, while thinking that no coach in history has enjoyed the ride more than our old friend, George Mason's Jim Larranaga ...
Speaking of the NCAA Tournament, there's a strong movement from the coaching fraternity to expand the 65-team field and with good reason.

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim got the ball rolling in terms of expansion, and colleagues such as Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Maryland's Gary Williams have hopped on board along with many more coaches. With the parity in the game and the success of mid-majors such as George Mason, Bradley, Wichita State and others, it makes sense.

This columnist has believed there is room for adding teams to the field for several years and such an expansion would solve several problems, even if its just by 12 teams or as many as 32.

Firstly, most bubble teams passed over in recent years would make the field, and secondly, it would be yet another good reason to eliminate the NIT, which has become an obsolete event.

Virginia's Craig Littlepage, who is chairman of this year's NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, disagrees with me and the coaches.

"Personally, I would be resistant to that and I believe that in listening to my colleagues on the committee, there doesn't seem to be a lot of momentum in that direction," Littlepage said in a phone call from Indianapolis this week. "I think that over the last two years there is a certain magic that has evolved over the course of this tournament, and I wouldn't want to fool around with that in the short term in regards to expanding the field in any way."

I agree that the tournament has been grand the past two years, but part of the magic created has been by some of the most unlikely entrants. Why not make it even more of a truly national tournament by spreading the wealth?

We will give Littlepage credit for sticking to his philosophy.

"There may be even a case of narrowing the field and having a greater or enhanced quality in the NIT," said Littlepage. "Those are discussions that are going to take place long after I leave the committee in another year (his five-year term ends after next season, while Princeton's Gary Walters moves into the chairmanship role next season).

"We don't have plans for [expansion] being a discussion for the next year. Down the road a proposal that may modify that in some way may be held, but I don't think that's the answer."

Quick, name me the last five NIT champions. Yeah, the last two have been easy because Dave Odom's South Carolina team won back-to-back titles for the first time since 1946.

But what's your favorite NIT moments that don't involve either UVa or Virginia Tech? Who was the NIT's MVP's outside of a Wahoo or a Hokie?

To expand the NIT would make about as much sense as bringing back the Edsel.

Expanding the NCAAs would create even more magic and could easily be done without watering down the field.

Hoos' Hall can ball

You couldn't help but notice No. 4 in the blue jersey during Virginia's open football practice Saturday.

He moved so gracefully but with authority. And while everyone originally believed he would be a quarterback, he's now a cornerback and could become a great one.

Vic Hall, the guy who rewrote state high school records at Gretna, was starting at one of the corner spots in practice and was even working as the holder on placements because John Phillips was having a hand problem.

"He's doing a nice job," said UVa coach Al Groh. "It sounds like an over-simplification, but people who know him will understand that he's just being Vic. He's doing well because he's Vic Hall. Whether it's academics or holding on field goals for the first time, or playing on the corner, he's got a real good sense of competition."

Hall said after the nearly three hour-long practice that no matter what position he's playing, it's still football.

"Playing corner makes it a lot easier because you can zone in at one spot and all the things you've got to do at one position," the redshirt freshman said. "It takes a lot of stress off knowing that you've got to learn just one position. Cornerback can be a game-changing position with a big interception, a forced fumble or a strip sack."

Brown on field

Rising sophomore corner Michael Brown, who was charged by Charlottesville police after an incident at a fraternity house last week, was on the practice field Saturday, and, according to one source, is back in good standing with the University.

The source said that Brown was convicted of only one charge during a hearing before a UVa judiciary committee (comprised entirely of students) several days ago after the committee heard the testimony of the player and some fraternity members.

Brown was found guilty of trespassing, but his punishment will not impact his status as a student or his role on the football team.

Other charges against Brown were dismissed during the hearing. However, Brown must now deal with the charges brought before the city police.

Mason Rotella-ized?

If you're familiar with famed Charlottesville sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella, it will come as no surprise that he perhaps has a finger in the Final Four pie.

Rotella, most noted for his work with some of the world's top professional golfers, also has enhanced careers and performances in other sports. He once helped Virginia's basketball team en route to the 1984 Final Four, the year after Ralph Sampson graduated.

Well, maybe he's had the same impact in a less direct way with George Mason.

Coach Jim Larranaga, who used to coach at UVa for Terry Holland, has known Rotella a long time and acknowledged this week that the psychologist gave him some valuable advice about the time Larranaga moved from Bowling Green to Mason, advice he still uses.

"[Rotella] taught me that you don't teach and coach in the middle of a game because you put doubt in your players' minds," Larranaga said. "He said I have to clap whenever a player makes a mistake because the first thing a player will do in that situation is look over to see my reaction. I'll only build the anxiety up in a player by yelling and screaming like a madman."

Seems like the philosophy has worked like a charm.

Free throws ...

UVa basketball recruit Solomon Tat has cleared at least one hurdle in an attempt to play for the Cavaliers. Tat, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound standout, has apparently qualified academically but now has to overcome a complicated situation with his visa. ... Meanwhile, star Wahoo All-American tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson made an appearance on "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" on Friday night where he had some laughs with Rodney Peete and Michael Strahan.

 

Incident imperils Duke's image
Lacrosse case ups town-gown tension
Jane Stancill and Anne Blythe, Staff Writers

It should have been another triumphant spring at Duke University, with the women's basketball team in the Final Four and the most competitive admissions pool on record.
But as acceptance letters went out last week to more than 3,000 prospective freshmen, the university faced an unimaginable March madness. A gang-rape investigation of the men's lacrosse team sank Duke into a tawdry mess that made national headlines and played over and over in the 24-hour news cycle.

The situation has exposed serious issues of race, gender and class division. And it's dealt a devastating setback to the university's often fragile relationship with its hometown.

The players and their attorneys have strongly denied the allegations, and no criminal charges have been filed.

Now, while waiting for DNA results that may or may not identify suspects, people wonder how the university's reputation will bounce back and how the Duke-Durham bond can be repaired.

"It tears me up to think it's come to this," said Sylvia Kerckhoff, a former Durham mayor.

Many Duke alumni are hurt and angry about what they say has, so far, been a disgraceful episode for the university.

"Those guys have really ticked me off and embarrassed me," said Donald Van Dyke of Raleigh, who played lacrosse at Duke and graduated in 1978. "I wore that jersey, and they're wearing it now."

Malbert Smith and his wife, Alisa, of Chapel Hill, both went to Duke and have a daughter there now. "Duke has always been very dear to me," he said. "I'm an Iron Duke. In my work, I travel all over the country and people know how I feel about Duke. They're calling me up now, asking me what in the world is going on here."

The story seemed to get worse with each new detail.

A black woman working her way through school at N.C. Central University reported March 14 that she was raped by three white men at a party attended by the mostly white Duke lacrosse team. She worked for an escort service and was hired to dance at a house in the Trinity Park area -- the epicenter of a long struggle between Duke and Durham over students' wild partying and rude behavior.

Duke officials said they knew of the incident within 24 hours and encouraged players to speak fully and truthfully with authorities. DNA tests were ordered for 46 lacrosse players after police said they didn't fully cooperate. The players lined up March 23 at the police lab, pulling jackets and sweatshirts over their faces.

Neighbors were outraged; several hundred flocked to the house at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. for a candlelight vigil in support of the woman. The same night, some lacrosse players were boisterously drinking at Charlie's Neighborhood Bar & Grille, a nearby bar on Ninth Street, Duke graduate Jill Hopman said.

But that wasn't all. The night of the party, a neighbor said he had heard ugly racial remarks. And police received a call from a woman who said someone directed a racial slur at her in front of the house that night.

Students and residents complained that too much time passed before the university took action or voiced concern. On March 25, after players admitted that the party included strippers and underage drinking, the Duke athletics director canceled two lacrosse games.

Then, three days after the Saturday game was canceled, Duke President Richard Brodhead halted all lacrosse games until the situation is sufficiently resolved. He was careful to point out that the university must wait for the police investigation to be completed.

And he reassured people that, in the end, Duke will preserve its good name by how it deals with the crisis.

"Universities show their mettle by the way they respond to difficult circumstances, not by their absolute ability to prevent such circumstances from ever happening," Brodhead said. "I hope -- and you have it from me that I'll do my best -- that this university will continue to respond to this situation in a way that will bring us credit."

'Shame on Duke!'

With protests aimed at Duke and the lacrosse team almost daily last week, the tension in Durham has been palpable. Residents created their own electronic bulletin board called "DurhamResponds," reacting to each twist and turn of the story and dissecting the comments of Duke leaders.

On a poster taped to a tree outside Brodhead's office, an "ex-Dukie" wrote: "To many for whom Durham is really home, Duke's silence following what the men's lacrosse team did is just the latest sad chapter in Duke-Durham relations. Shame on Duke!"

Aja Thompson, a Duke senior from Atlanta, felt compelled to protest on campus. "I am ashamed and I am embarrassed to be a Duke student," she said, "especially as a black woman."

Faculty members have also expressed their concern in private meetings with administrators.

Herbert Kitschelt, a political science professor, wrote to Brodhead, calling for the suspension of lacrosse coaches, a thorough examination of the program and a commitment to deal with "the very real problems we continue to have at Duke with the climate for women and racial minorities."

Kitschelt said the university must make students understand that they represent Duke and are expected to behave accordingly.

Students' partying has become too accepted by the university, said Catherine Bath, executive director of Security on Campus, a national campus crime watchdog group. Bath lost her son, Raheem, at Duke in 1999 when he died after a night of heavy drinking.

"Six years ago, I asked Duke to step up and lead the way for other universities," Bath said. "They haven't really done that."

The hard-drinking lifestyle has played itself out for years in neighborhoods near the campus, in beer bashes, blaring music, public urination and, on one occasion, a police bust where bikini-clad Duke students were wrestling in oil in a kiddie pool.

To some, the story is a case of life imitating art. Tom Wolfe's 2004 novel "I Am Charlotte Simmons" chronicled an atmosphere of drunken parties, easy sex and pampered athletes at the elite, fictional Dupont University. Although Wolfe said he researched the book at a number of colleges, many people drew parallels between the Gothic campus in the book and Duke, where Wolfe's daughter graduated in 2002.

As details emerged about the lacrosse incident late March 13 and early March 14, students, alumni and Durham residents complained that even beyond the rape allegation, the players' actions that night and since reinforce negative images. Lacrosse, for many, is symbolic of white male privilege -- a sport steeped in northeastern prep school tradition and machismo.

"When this all happened I said to myself, who else has played up a lacrosse team in a college novel," Wolfe said in a telephone interview from his New York home. "I've been following what's going on down there with great interest."

Town-gown discord

There has long been friction between a city with blue-collar roots and a campus where the annual cost of education tops $43,000 -- more than some public workers make in a year. In a 2005 Princeton Review survey of colleges nationwide, Duke was listed 5th in strained town-gown relations.

But some students and administrators urge Durham residents not to judge the whole campus by the behavior of a boorish minority.

For 10 years, Duke has invested money, student volunteers and faculty expertise in improving the 12 neighborhoods around campus. The university has helped with affordable housing, community centers and after-school programs for public schools.

Beyond stereotypes, Duke and Durham work together for the common good every day, said Michael Palmer, director of Duke's office of community affairs.

"When [residents] see committed people helping their children, and it's genuine and real on a personal level, how do you think they respond to that?" Palmer asked.

Durham wouldn't be Durham without Duke, said Mayor Bill Bell, who convened black leaders in the community last week to meet with Brodhead. Bell said the city's largest employer has done tremendous good in the community, contributing to health clinics, downtown redevelopment and public schools.

That good often gets overlooked amid such problems as the treatment of some Duke hospital patients with instruments tainted by hydraulic fluid, or neighborhood trouble with unruly student behavior.

In February, after years of negotiation and a crackdown by police, Duke finally took a drastic step to end neighbors' complaints: It opened the university's checkbook. Duke paid $3.7 million for 15 properties close to East Campus, in Trinity Park, Trinity Heights and on Burch Avenue, with plans to sell them to stable owners after existing leases expired.

The action was greeted with widespread praise. But two months later, that good will may be gone -- one of the houses was the location of the rape report.

Image at risk

Despite the problems with locals, Duke's national image has rarely been sullied by scandal. The university ranks higher in U.S. News & World Report than many Ivy League campuses. It is held up for clean athletics programs with a record of winning and graduating players.

"We are very much aware that in many ways Duke is on a pedestal," said Senior Vice President John Burness. "We're seen as an exemplar of how things should be done. We understand there's obvious damage when something like this occurs."

Cindy Lawson, a UNC-Wilmington administrator who gives seminars on handling university crises, applauded Duke for stopping the lacrosse season.

"As tough as that is, I think that was a smart move," said Lawson, who was the chief spokeswoman at Texas A&M University in 1999 when 12 students died in a bonfire. "Duke's action in doing this is sending a message."

Lawson said a fine institution such as Duke will weather the storm. "They have a lot of equity. That will help," she said.

But others don't foresee calm anytime soon.

"I think we're going to be living with the judicial process for quite a long time," said Paul Haagen, law professor and chairman of Duke's Academic Council. "At the end of the day, some people will believe students were railroaded and there are going to be people who believe -- even if [students are] exonerated -- that somehow or other justice wasn't served and rich kids got away with something."