Copper keeps simple strategy
The Northside graduate continues to take advantage of his opportunities at UVa.
Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- There was no passing of the torch, ceremonial or otherwise.

One day, Virginia released a spring-practice roster that did not include former Butkus Award finalist Ahmad Brooks. The next, Jon Copper was running out on the field with the first team.

It was evident that if Copper could keep his mistakes to a minimum this spring, he would be starting at one of the inside-linebacker spots for the Cavaliers in the fall.

That's not what he was thinking.

"I set my goals before each season -- spring and fall," said Copper, a walk-on from Northside High School. "My goals this spring were not to win a job or to make the first team. My goals were to keep on improving and not to look too far ahead."

Copper is 1-for-1 in meeting his goals. As a redshirt freshman in 2005, his goal was to find his way on the field, either on special teams or as a reserve linebacker. He played in all 12 games and a total of 132 plays for the Cavaliers (7-5) and earned a letter.

It appeared Copper would have a similar role this coming season. Then some things changed.

In January, first-team All-ACC linebacker Kai Parham announced he would pass up his final season of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft.

Then on the eve of spring drills, UVa released a roster that did not include Brooks, safety Tony Franklin and defensive end Vince Redd.

"Honestly, I didn't keep up with that situation a whole lot," Copper said. "I found out, I guess, when everybody else did."

His first thoughts?

"That we have a teammate who may not be with us next year," Copper said. "I'm still not sure what's going on or how it's going to end up."

Copper wasn't surprised when he was on the first defense to start spring drills.

"It was kind of by default," said Copper, who might have expected a challenge from converted fullback Rashawn Jackson, who has an injury.

"I played about 15 plays at linebacker last year and, still, I'm the second-most experienced inside linebacker we've got"

Brooks' persistent injury problems created an opportunity last year for Antonio Appleby, who started the last two games as a true freshman and could become a fixture for the Cavaliers.

At 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds, Appleby has the same kind of build as Parham and Brooks and fits the inside-linebacker mold. At 6 feet and 225 pounds, Copper fits the walk-on mold.

Moreover, he was a defensive lineman for most of his time at Northside, where he also wrestled and was the 2003 Timesland athlete of the year. An outstanding student, he took a postgraduate year at Fork Union Military Academy to become a linebacker.

"When I first came here, there were still a lot of things I didn't know, especially about the 3-4," Copper said. "Last spring, I studied every night and came in an hour before practice to make sure I knew everything that was going on."

Playbooks are made to be studied, but that isn't always the case.

"Most of the guys who are getting paid a lot of money to play aren't doing that," said UVa head coach Al Groh, who coached in the NFL. "It's an indicator of a player knowing who he is and what he needs to use to his advantage.

"Jon knew from the start that being 6-5, 245 and running a 4.7 [for 40 yards] wasn't in his profile, so he had to find another way to play better than the other guys."

Copper probably could have given tips on UVa's 3-4 scheme to new linebackers coach Bobby Diaco. Copper has had three position coaches in three years -- four if you want to count Groh, who took over the linebackers in the Music City Bowl.

Groh showed how much he thought about Copper when he had him in the game at linebacker in the first quarter.

"When I came in, Coach [Al] Golden told me that, in about two or three years, things would open up pretty nicely as far as me having an opportunity to contribute," Copper said.

Golden, formerly the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator, became the head coach at Temple last December. Golden also served as Copper's position coach for one year.

"It comes down to guys have to fill spots," Copper said. "The less guys you have to fill spots, the more opportunity there's going to be."

Copper, who turns 22 in September, could be in line to receive a scholarship when Groh goes through that process this summer, but there's no way you'll get him to admit he's "arrived."

"Not at all," he said, then repeated. "Not at all. I just hope to be one of the guys in the mix."
 

U.Va. report: Spring game format hinges on number of healthy players
By ED MILLER , The Virginian-Pilot
© April 19, 2006

If Virginia makes it through today’s final spring football practice unscathed, Saturday’s intrasquad game could be more interesting than usual.

As of Monday, the Cavaliers had at least two healthy players at every position. If the team stays that way through today’s practice, coach Al Groh will split the squad into two units for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game.

The format of last year’s game was offense vs. defense, with the offense getting the ball just inside midfield. Saturday’s format could be closer to a traditional game. Scott Stadium gates open at 1:30.

In the event of an injury, “we’ll have to come up with something a little more creative,” Groh said.

Outlook is improving for Monroe and Lyles

Speaking of injuries, Groh said left tackle Eugene Monroe, who recently had surgery to repair a dislocated kneecap, should be fully recovered in time for training camp in August.

“It sounds as if there will be sufficient time to train for the season,” he said.

Groh also said safety Nate Lyles, who suffered a potentially career-ending neck injury last November, continues to make progress. Lyles has not been practicing but has been working out this spring.

“He’s working harder and longer,” Groh said.

When spring practice opened nearly three weeks ago, Groh said he wasn’t counting on Lyles returning.

“But I wouldn’t say count him out either,” Groh added.

Groh not in a hurry to find his next kicker

Don’t expect the competition to replace kicker Connor Hughes to be settled until the fall. Ryan Gould, who punted last year, and Noah Greenbaum, a senior from Richmond, are vying for Hughes’ job. The Cavaliers must also replace kickoff specialist Kurt Smith.

If Gould wins the kicking job, Ryan Weigand, a junior college transfer, will probably punt. Greenbaum also has punting experience.

Groh seems content to let the candidates compete through the summer.

“There’s no value in making a quick judgment there,” he said.

Men’s hoops: 5 in fold with 1 scholarship left

A couple of weeks ago, the men’s basketball team had seven players either signed or committed for next season — but just five scholarships to give.

Now, all of a sudden, the Cavaliers have five players in the fold, and a scholarship remaining.

What happened?

First, 6-foot-8 forward Andy Ogide, who had committed but not signed, decided to go elsewhere after Virginia coaches suggested he attend prep school next year to work on his game. Then, 6-8 Johnnie Lett announced he’d be attending Hargrave Military Academy next year to work on academics.

The departures freed up two scholarships, one of which will go to 6-8 Ryan Pettinella, a transfer from the University of Pennsylvania who had planned to join the team as a walk-on.

Virginia’s other scholarships will go to 6-9 Jamil Tucker and 6-5 Will Harris, who signed in November, and 6-5 Solomon Tat, who is expected to sign in May.

Another player, 6-8 Andy Burns of Bishop Ireton High in Alexandria, plans to walk on.

Tucker and Tat are considered the jewels of the class. Tucker, a wing player from Gary, Ind., scored 11 points for the U.S. All-Stars in the Capital Classic last week. Tat is a native of Nigeria who attends high school in Georgia.

As for that remaining scholarship, Virginia will likely hold it for the class of 2007.

From the Baltimore Sun
3 years after accident, Rubeor thrives at Va.
Ben Rubeor gained valuable perspective about life after a car accident nearly ended his lacrosse career
April 20, 2006

Charlottesville, Va. -- The scar cuts a wide, grisly swath, covering most of his left forearm, and it marks an indelible reminder Ben Rubeor never tires of contemplating.
Having recently turned 20, Rubeor is a kid no longer. He hasn't been, really, since that night in the summer of 2003, when, at 17, he drove too fast with his whole life in front of him and could have lost it all.

Every day for Rubeor at the University of Virginia is a great day, whether he is buried in the works of Shakespeare, savoring the scenery on a hiking trail in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains, or ripping another well-placed shot for the nation's best men's lacrosse team.

After an automobile accident near his Towson home tore apart his left arm, and after a nerve-racking, eight-month recovery - which included four surgeries and a frightening setback - forced him to confront his place in the world without lacrosse, Rubeor owns an abundance of perspective.

"It was kind of like losing my childhood innocence, but at the same time learning so much about myself. I was trying to cope with the fact that I might not be able to play lacrosse," Rubeor said.

"I realized that every day I play lacrosse is a gift. It also made me realize if I can't play, it's not the biggest deal in the world. It reminds you of what's important. It gave me a new sense of, wow, I'm so lucky to be playing this game."

On the country's top-ranked and only unbeaten team, a squad loaded with scoring threats, the skinny, long-haired sophomore who first emerged as a star at Loyola Blakefield might be Virginia's most versatile weapon. The attackman can beat defenders off the dodge, find an open teammate with a crisp pass, go to the goal with authority, shoot hard and accurately from inside or outside, and beat you with his right hand, too.

His coach and his teammates talk of an uncommonly smooth and instinctive player who has a way of being in the right place and making the right decision. Despite missing two early-season games with an ankle injury, Rubeor ranks second among the Cavaliers with 34 points and is tied for second in goals (21) and assists (13). He is shooting a sizzling 40.4 percent.

"I feel like I can put my hands up [in celebration] before he even shoots the ball sometimes," Virginia senior midfielder Kyle Dixon said. "He's not the biggest guy. He's not the quickest guy. He's just a quiet guy who goes about his business. His lacrosse skills are unbelievable."

Said Cavaliers coach Dom Starsia: "Whatever the game requires, Ben can do. He sees the game at a high level. He just gives us whatever we need."

Such chatter usually makes Rubeor squirm with discomfort, credit the work of his fellow players, and change the subject.

Crash and recovery
You see, Rubeor goes deeper than the game he has come to master, having pursued it with a passion since the third grade. For Rubeor, who never was the typical jock, life took on a new meaning after that night of July 15, when he was driving with a friend in his parents' SUV, then lost control on a stretch of Joppa Road after veering sharply to avoid hitting an oak tree.
The Ford Explorer tipped on its left side, rolled over several times and was demolished. Rubeor and his passenger, Alex Wharton, were wearing their seat belts. Wharton, then a student at Gilman and currently an attackman at Notre Dame, walked away unscathed. Rubeor did not.

His left arm had been resting on the door, exposed through the open window. The wreck left Rubeor's limb a mangled mess - his only injury - with bones sticking through his skin. In about an hour, he had been flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where doctors cleaned the gaping wound, pulled the bones into place and screwed on four plates to start the healing.

Thus began an eight-month process, wrought with a major scare. Two months into what seemed like a good recovery, a bacterial infection arose within the bones, threatening the arm to the point where Rubeor was told he might not play again. Later, the thought of possible amputation even came up.

Rubeor was treated with an aggressive course of antibiotics. Then, six weeks after Dr. Andrew Egleseder, an upper extremity specialist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, performed the last of three follow-up procedures in December, the Rubeor family was floored by the news. The arm had healed beautifully. Ben, who committed to Virginia a month before the accident, could begin practicing with his Loyola high school team on schedule. He would have a senior season.

"Once you hear there's no head injury, that's the big sigh. Then you hear his arm is pretty bad, and your mind drifts to other concerns," said Bob Rubeor, Ben's father, an estate planner who was Starsia's college teammate at Brown in the mid-1970s. "It was a roller coaster of emotions, of not knowing and wondering. Then comes this incredible surprise that he could play."

'No self-pity'
The Rubeor family took quite an emotional ride, indeed. When the accident happened, Ben's parents were vacationing in Aruba, while his aunt, Mary Hirsch -a Shock Trauma nurse and consultant - was minding the Rubeor household. It was Hirsch's birthday.
She had prepared a chicken dinner for Ben, who called to say he wouldn't be home until late. Hirsch then was awakened by a call from the Maryland State Police shortly after midnight. By the time she got to the hospital around 1:15 a.m., Ben had been admitted and was getting medical treatment.

"I pulled the curtain back and his left arm had bones hanging out of it. I went from extreme concern to phenomenal shock to pretty [mad]. I screamed at him," said Hirsch, her voice breaking. "When I think I might have had to call his parents and tell them he died under my care."

Hirsch woke up Ben's parents at around 6 a.m. local time and informed them about the crash. The Rubeors made it home late that night.

"I was going through feeling mad and upset coming home from Aruba. But when I walked into that hospital room, none of that mattered. I was never mad again," said Linda, Ben's mother, who teaches reading to disabled elementary school children. "Ben was stoic through the whole thing. No self-pity. He changed a lot. He matured beyond his years."

Not that Ben had been goofing off, up to that point. Always a conscientious student, he had scored 1,380 on his SAT and earned National Honor Society recognition before signing with Virginia.

Linda spoke of how, as early as age 2, Ben would tear out and crumple up pages of his coloring book, dissatisfied with his work. He approached lacrosse from early on in the same, self-critical way - pushing himself to outhustle others to ground balls and finish first in running drills.

During his recovery, Rubeor became a voracious reader of philosophy and spirituality books. He went on to serve as a mentor for underclassmen. In addition, he has worked at Camp Umoja, a summer camp for inner-city children. He also received Loyola's Troy Vance Memorial Scholarship for athletics, academics and community service.

"We've never had to get on Ben to do things. He's always been hard on himself," Bob added. "And he was very hard on himself about [the accident and his recovery]. He never complained."

Impact with Cavs
Rubeor bounced back remarkably in his senior season at Loyola. A year after collecting 43 goals and 23 assists, he finished his high school career by winning the C. Markland Kelly Award as the state's outstanding player, and went out on an All-America note with 48 goals and 27 assists.
He arrived in Charlottesville determined to fit into Starsia's system without bringing too much attention to himself, even though he was a coveted lefty who had turned down Johns Hopkins, Princeton and Georgetown. His teammates quickly noted Rubeor's slight, 5-foot-11, 178-pound build. And that scar.

"When you first look at him and catch a glimpse of [the scar], you're thinking, how can he possibly be a successful lacrosse player at such a high level? But he's probably the best player on the team now," senior attackman Matt Ward said.

Said Rubeor: "My first instinct is not to shoot. My first instinct is not to pass. I'd rather read the situation and try to create an opportunity for our team to score. It's much more fulfilling when you can be a part of something larger than yourself and really succeed at something."

Starsia, who had let Rubeor know immediately after the accident that Virginia would not waver in its commitment to him, was doubly sold on Rubeor's toughness as a freshman. Despite going through most of the year with two sprained ankles, Rubeor led Atlantic Coast Conference freshmen with 16 assists, added 18 goals, and helped the Cavaliers reach the NCAA tournament semifinals.

"Ben's toes were purple. He was walking around on eggshells most of the season," Starsia said. "He takes a beating and keeps coming. He's game to the very core."

Rubeor, who is leaning toward declaring English as his major and sees himself as a teacher and a writer, said he can't play the game any other way. He savors every minute on the field, every day he is healthy. When he's home, he sometimes drives by the accident site and takes in a reminder of what's important.

"I like driving by there. It brings back memories of struggles, but it brings back more memories of growth," he said. "I learned so much about myself and what I wanted in life. It was one of the toughest things I've ever gone through, but it was the best learning experience I've ever had.
 

Virginia eyeing ACC progress
By Drew Hansen / Daily Progress staff writer
April 19, 2006

For both of the University of Virginia's track and field teams, the goal for the 2006 ACC Outdoor Championships is a simple one - improvement.
For the men's team, that means cracking the top three. The Cavaliers finished just 1.5 points behind third-place North Carolina in 2005. Spurred by a strong corps of distance and middle-distance runners that took home the ACC cross country crown in the fall, the Virginia men feel they're in a good position to reach their goal at Kentner Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., this week.

On the women's side, a handful of upperclassmen and a group of talented youngsters hope to improve from 2005's seventh-place finish.

"I think, for both teams, we want move up in the rankings a little bit over where we were last year and where we were indoors," said Jason Dunn, a six-year assistant with the UVa track and field team and cross country head coach. "I think we usually consider ourselves a better outdoor team than indoor team, especially with some of the events that are added into the program on the outdoor track."

For the Virginia men, the team will be missing Kellen Blassingame, the school's record holder in the 400 meters who missed the outdoor season due to injury. The team will also be without Matt Sullivan, an All-ACC competitor in the pole vault in 2005, who left the team during the indoor season due to personal reasons.

"Indoors, it really did hurt us having [Sullivan] leave the team and to not have Kellen, a guy that scored 14 points for us by himself at the outdoor meet last year ... that's a huge chunk of points [missing] and that's going to hurt a lot for us."

Despite the loss to two key contributors, Virginia looks to be extremely competitive in the distance events.

Ryan Foster, who took runner-up honors by less than a second in the 10,000 meters in 2005, is poised to score in both the 10,000 and the 5,000 this year.

"I think I'm in a good position," Foster said. "I'm a year older and I have a lot more confidence this year. I'm excited to see what the conference meet offers."

Virginia hopes to get a boost from Will Christian, the 2004 ACC Champion in the 5,000, and Alex Tatu. Tatu finished second in both the 800 and 1,500 at the 2005 ACC meet and placed second in the indoor mile.

In such a competitive conference, however, both Dunn and Foster know that certain schools hold distinct advantages.

Florida State is the No. 1 team in the country, and Dunn said Clemson is the other team "clearly ahead of the rest of the field." Virginia is part of a six-team group vying for third place.

"I think Florida State will win it all," Foster said. "I think if everyone scores for us and we show well in every event we can maybe get that runner-up spot. ? We need men scoring in multiple events. We need to be competitive across the board."

For the Virginia women, Dunn believes several "big, impact people" will spark the Cavaliers' improvement.

Tops on the list is Billie Jo Grant, an All-American thrower looking to repeat as the ACC discus champion. Grant also hopes to score in the shot put.

Grant, a sophomore who transferred from the University of Arizona, knows it will be tough to contend with such a young team. She hopes this year's championships will help in the development of the underclassmen.

"It's all kind of how you do on the day [you compete]," Grant said. "But we're developing a strong base before we shoot for the top three."

All-American Tomika Ferguson will be a contender for Virginia in both the long and triple jumps - both extremely competitive events in the ACC.

Ferguson reached a career-mark of 5.90 meters in the long jump at the UVa-hosted Milton G. Abramson/Lou Onesty Invitational this past weekend.

Dunn also singled out Rachel Marks in the high jump and Erin Crawford in the

400 hurdles as top competitors for Virginia.

"Two years ago we were not where we'd like to be," Dunn said of the women's team. "Last year we improved quite a bit. We definitely have some stars on the women's side that can score some points."

That's all part of the progress Dunn hopes will make both of Virginia's squads competitive for years to come.

"I think it's been pretty clearly set from the top down here in the athletic department in terms of what the expectations are, and that's to be in position to win conference championships," Dunn said. "That's absolutely what we're shooting for and I think for the whole program in general we took a good step this fall when our men won the ACC cross country championship."

Grant has seen improvement across the board with Virginia track and field.

"I think it's really turning around," she said. "We're finally getting support, getting our facilities upgraded and getting good coaches. ? Track has been at the end of the list and I think we'll see more things change as the program turns."

 

Guilbeau's golden touch
UVa coach earns ACC honor after turnaround
By Jerry Miller / Daily Progress staff writer
April 20, 2006

It seems everything Mark Guilbeau touches turns to gold.
Guilbeau crafted an NCAA Tournament qualifier in all nine of his seasons at the helm in Kentucky, despite mediocre talent through the early stages in Lexington.

One year removed from the 2005 ITA Coach of the Year Award and in his first season as head coach of the Virginia women's tennis team, Guilbeau has transformed yet another average program into a unit feared by the ACC's elite heading into today's conference tournament.

League officials recognized the program's turnaround by naming Guilbeau the 2006 ACC Coach of the Year on Wednesday. Standout Kristen James earned All-ACC honors for the second time in her career Wednesday afternoon as well.

"I am very fortunate to be a coach at the University of Virginia," Guilbeau said in a statement released by the school. "This award feels great because of what it represents for this team. I give great thanks to [assistant coach] Troy Porco, and share this award completely with him. ? I [also] am very happy for Kristen. It is a well-deserved award."

The Cavaliers, the 25th-ranked team in the nation, have posted a 12-8 overall record and a 6-5 mark in ACC play to set a new school standard for ACC wins in a season, while compiling the school's first winning season in conference play since 1994.

Virginia is the No. 6 seed in the 2006 ACC Tournament, which will take place at the Cary Tennis Center in Cary N.C. The Cavs open play today with a 3:30 p.m. match against 11th-seeded Virginia Tech -- a team Virginia beat 6-1 in Blacksburg on Feb. 19.

"We have to beat [Virginia] Tech," said James, who has compiled a 21-15 singles record, including a 7-4 mark in the ACC, and a 29-12 doubles record at No. 1. James and Lori Stern are ranked 17th in the nation in doubles play. "The rivalry itself makes it fun to play. I think we match up well. If we go out and play hard, I think we will come out victorious."

Should Virginia top Virginia Tech (12-12, 1-10 ACC), the Cavs will then lock horns with Miami, the No. 3 seed on Friday at 3 p.m. UVa pulled off a 4-3 upset of the Hurricanes (17-5, 9-2 ACC) on April 9 to register their best win in school history.

"All we're focused on is Virginia Tech. We're going to review our notes from the previous match," said Guilbeau, whose team also logged a top-10 win over then No. 10 Duke. "Unfortunately, looking ahead is a great mistake that young kids make. They can get a little ahead of themselves. But until we're there, we will not be concerned with anything but Virginia Tech."

Senior Douglas Wink, a talented transfer from the University of Georgia, has missed the Cavs' last four matches -- Virginia is 3-1 in the span -- due to a strain in her right pectoral muscle. Guilbeau said Tuesday he expects Wink, who has seen most of her time at No. 1 singles, to return to the lineup for the ACC Tournament.

"Everyone feels confident she will be ready," Guilbeau said. "The last part of recovery, I think, is more mental than physical."

Guilbeau also said he believes hosting an NCAA Regional is no longer a feasible option for his squad.

"I think hosting a regional is done," he explained. "I think we're a solid No. 2 seed and hopefully we'll stay there."

While most regional hosts are the No. 1 seed, at times a second-seed can also host because of travel concerns.

"Two years ago, we were the No. 1 seed at Kentucky but traveled to Harvard [the two-seed] for the regional," Guilbeau said. "Not all regionals always have a No. 1 seed. Sometimes a 2-seed will host to cut down on travel in that particular area [of the country]."

NOTE: In other matches today, No. 8 seed Maryland faces No. 9 North Carolina State, No. 5 North Carolina battles No. 12 Boston College and No. 7 Wake Forest plays No. 10 Florida State.

 

ACCs will present challenge for Cavs
In three-way tie with Duke, Miami for first in conference, Virginia stilll hopes to take home title
Zach Rowen, Cavalier Daily Senior Staff Writer

After finishing the regular season Sunday against Duke, it took a coin flip to determine where the Cavaliers would be seeded in the ACC tournament. Since Virginia was in a three-way tie with Duke and Miami for first place in the ACC, the tossing of a coin was the chosen method for determining how to rank the three teams. The Cavaliers were given the No. 2 seed, with Duke ranked No. 1 and Miami ranked No. 3.

The tournament will start on Thursday morning in Cary, N.C. The Cavaliers, however, have earned a bye in the first round and will start play on Friday against the winner of the match between No. 7 Clemson and No. 10 N.C. State.

Even though the Cavaliers have beaten both teams already in the regular season, they are well aware of the dangers of overlooking opponents.

"I think all the teams in the ACC are good this year," senior Nick Meythaler said. "The results have shown that there's a mixed match of wins and losses. To win the tournament you are going to have to beat the best teams in the ACC, whether you're on the top or on the bottom."

Even though the Cavaliers are entering the tournament with a bye and with a No. 2 ranking, they will certainly have to improve their play in order to bring back their third consecutive ACC championship. They have lost two of their last four matches and have performed inconsistently over the past two weeks. The good news for Virginia, however, is that they played well against Duke in their final game of the season.

"The guys have to realize that every day we need everyone's effort like we did on Sunday against Duke," Virginia coach Brian Boland said. "We've had too many instances this year where some guys stepped up and the others relied on each other almost too much."

What Boland and the Cavaliers can count on in the postseason, however, is the senior leadership that has helped the team rise to the top of the ACC. The team has four fourth-year All-Americans in Meythaler, Darrin Cohen, Rylan Rizza and Doug Stewart. These four players not only play consistently, but they can be counted on to come up with a win when it is needed.

"I have confidence in these guys," sophomore Somdev Devvarman said in reference to the seniors and the rest of the Cavalier starting lineup. "I've seen them do it before and I expect them to do it again."

One senior the Cavaliers will need to give his best in the upcoming tournament is Doug Stewart. Despite a rough start to the season, Stewart has improved his play recently and has become one of the most reliable starters for the Cavaliers.

"I think Doug Stewart is stepping it up," Meythaler said. "He's one of the best competitors I've ever seen."

In order for the Cavaliers to be successful in the upcoming tournament, however, it will truly take a team effort. By suffering two in-conference defeats in the past two weeks, they have learned that nothing is guaranteed -- no matter how good of a seed they have.

"I think with the ACC being as strong as it is, it really is irrelevant whether you see the No. 1 or No. 10 seed," Boland said. "We absolutely have to take one match at a time."

 

New tension cloaks team
A shoe yet to drop in lacrosse case
Jim Nesbitt and Benjamin Niolet, Staff Writers

DURHAM - With the threat of a third indictment in the gang rape investigation of the Duke University lacrosse team, those who know the players who haven't been charged feel a corrosive worry that one of their own could still face formal accusations.
There's also rising anger at Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, who has vowed to identify one more suspect, renewing a sense of uncertainty for 44 of the team's players and the community.

"This has upset a lot of people's lives, and it will continue to do so," said Chuck Sherwood, father of freshman goalie Devon Sherwood, the only member of the squad not under suspicion. "This is a bad thing, one way or another, whether the players are telling a lie or the accuser is telling a lie. This has turned everything upside down."

At first blush, Tuesday's arrest of sophomores Collin Finnerty, 19, of Garden City, N.Y., and Reade Seligmann, 20, of Essex Fells, N.J., appeared to leave the rest of the squad in the clear of accusations by a woman who said she was raped and sodomized by three white men during a March 13 team party.

But Nifong's written statement made it clear that the hunt for a third suspect would continue, erasing any relief felt by parents and supporters. Nifong has said that he thinks the woman, who was hired to dance at the party, was raped there and that a medical exam shows she had injuries consistent with her account.

"They're picking at straws and looking for a needle in a haystack," said Chris Gumiela, a Garden City High School lacrosse and football teammate of Duke co-captain Dan Flannery. Flannery is one of three senior co-captains who lived in the white rental house at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd. where the dancer said the attack took place.

Gumiela, who said he doesn't believe the dancer's allegations, thinks Nifong is trying to revive a faltering investigation.

"He's got to get three; otherwise there's a big hole in his case," said Gumiela, 21, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania. "It doesn't look good for the case; it doesn't look good for him to charge only two players."

Gumiela is angry about the wreckage caused by this high-profile case -- reputations ruined, a season canceled and a friend's athletic career and quest for a national championship at an end.

"The whole team's a casualty," he said. "If the actions of a couple of guys ruined it for the whole team, that's a terrible weight. The season's gone, the coach is gone, the whole program is decimated."

Gumiela has never lost faith in Flannery, whom he saw in Garden City during the Easter holiday weekend. But he said his faith in justice is shaken.

"You kind of get a sense that the whole American ideal of being innocent until being proven guilty got thrown out the window," he said. "It got caught up in the racial tension down there and the high-profile nature of the case."

The rejuvenated sense of uncertainty also touches the cadre of defense lawyers representing the players, said Bill Cotter, Finnerty's attorney.

"I can't tell you the pressure and the anxiety and the fear and the terror that all these families have lived under for the last several weeks," he said.

With the hunt for a third suspect, even lawyers representing players who haven't been charged continue to argue the team's innocence before the television cameras, he said.

The stress of Nifong's investigation and the prospects of a high-profile criminal trial will have a lasting effect on players, the school and the sport, said Sherwood, whose son is the squad's only black player and was therefore free of suspicion. The dancer said her three attackers were white, so the younger Sherwood did not have to give a DNA sample as 46 of his teammates were ordered to do.

'Part of that team'

"Even though my son was never implicated, he's a part of that team and feels the stress and strain as well," said Sherwood, 52, an elementary school teacher who lives in Freeport, N.Y.

Sherwood, who played goalie for the Duke lacrosse team from 1972 to 1975 and thinks he was the school's first black lacrosse player and assistant coach, has declined to say whether his son was at the March 13 team party. He said his son has felt unique pressure because both he and the accuser are black.

"He's feeling a lot of a different kind of pressure than the rest of the team," said Sherwood. "There's a feeling that because he is an African-American, he should have stepped forward and told what he knows or stepped in and stopped this."

Robinson "Rob" Bordley, lacrosse coach at Landon School, an exclusive all-boys academy in Bethesda, Md., has walked the line between having faith in his five former players on the Duke lacrosse roster and making sure they're telling him the truth.

Bordley has talked to four players and their parents, but not to Dave Evans, senior co-captain of the Duke squad and one of the team leaders living at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd.

He buttonholed one player last weekend.

" 'Look me in the eye,' I said. 'Could there have been a conspiracy of silence?' He said, 'No way.' "