Cavaliers shut out Blue Devils at Davenport
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
April 7, 2007

On a night when he was near perfect, Virginia sophomore Jacob Thompson was still the subject of the biggest knock.

One of Thompson’s teammates, first baseman Sean Doolittle, could not resist delivering a playful joke in the pitcher’s direction.

“Your postgame run took longer than your outing,” Doolittle joked.

Doolittle was merely speaking the truth.

Thompson masterfully mowed down Duke at a chilly Davenport Field on Friday, as Virginia cruised to a 4-0 victory in the quickest game of the season.

In fact, it took Thompson only 104 pitches and 114 minutes to hurl his first complete game of the season. It marked the fastest game for UVa since topping Marist, 3-0, on March 11, 2005 in 1, hour, 44 minutes.

“I am not wishing for our hitters to ever get out … but tonight when we got one run in the first inning I said, ‘Let’s keep this going and peck on a few runs toward the end,’” said Thompson, who improved to 8-0 and dropped his earned run average to 1.49. “I liked getting back out there as quick as I could.”

Virginia improved to 28-6 overall and remained in first place in the ACC’s Coastal Division at 9-4 with the win. Duke (21-12, 2-11) dropped its eighth straight at Davenport Field.

“Jacob Thompson was the story of the game,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “He was in complete command. He had a good breaking ball going, he was pitching out, he was pitching in and it was great to see him get a complete game on a cold night so that we didn’t have to bring anybody in out of the bullpen.”

Thompson, who allowed only four hits, benefited from the return of sophomore Greg Miclat to the batting order.

Miclat, who missed Tuesday’s 5-2 loss at VMI with shoulder tendonitis, scored three of the Cavaliers’ four runs, including one in the first inning after he singled to open the frame and later scored on an RBI ground out by David Adams.

Virginia kept its one-run lead until the fifth when Miclat produced again. This time, the speedy designated hitter singled, stole second on a pitch-out and crossed the plate on a triple from Brandon Marsh (2 for 4).

Doolittle, who finished 2 for 3, knocked Miclat in during the seventh after both players connected on doubles off Duke’s reliever Michael Ness.

“When Greg Miclat is in our lineup, it makes a big difference,” O’Connor said. “He is such a threat on the bases. He is always a competitor and he’s hitting .400 for a reason.

“I put him in there when I can and hopefully I can put him in there [today].”

Virginia added its final run in the eighth after left fielder Brandon Guyer extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a leadoff double and scored on a one-out single into center by Patrick Wingfield.

With the four-run cushion, O’Connor said it was an easy decision to let Thompson finish what he had started.

And the tall right-hander did just that.

After getting back-to-back ground outs to open the frame, Thompson ended the game by recording his 10th strikeout.

“The thing about tonight that was weird was that I never felt that tired,” Thompson said. “Usually, I get tired toward the middle of the game. This start, I felt like I got better as the game went on.”

Duke’s starting pitcher Alexander Hassan took the loss on the mound, allowing four hits and four walks in six innings. The freshman fell to 2-2 on the year.

Virginia will look to win its fourth straight league series today at 4 p.m. against the Blue Devils. The Cavaliers will start LHP Matt Packer (3-1, 3.12 ERA). Duke counters with its ace, RHP Tony Bajoczky (5-2, 2.68).

 

Waiting on word from Patterson
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
April 7, 2007

Scattershooting around the sports world, while the Patrick Patterson watch continues into the weekend ...

Patterson, the top unsigned high school senior basketball player in the nation, has waited for the smoke to clear on whether Billy Donovan would remain at Florida, and who Kentucky would hire to replace Tubby Smith, before making his college choice.

Virginia is one of six schools nervously awaiting word out of Huntington, W.Va., where Patterson resides. Florida, UVa, Duke, Kentucky, West Virginia and Wake Forest are the finalists.

Patterson originally planned to cut the list to three last weekend and make his decision prior to next week’s National Signing Day (April 12), but no word has leaked on what the sought-after power forward is thinking.

Because signing day is only five days away, don’t be surprised if Patterson simply announces his choice on Wednesday without narrowing his list.

Some believe Florida is in the driver’s seat and that Virginia is second, well ahead of Duke in the race for Patterson’s services. However, there is some discussion that Patterson’s parents aren’t crazy over the distance between Huntington and Gainesville, Fla. Virginia fans are hoping that could send Patterson to Hooville, where he would be the missing piece to coach Dave Leitao’s puzzle.

Patterson said he will sit down with his family for serious discussions once he returns from today’s 10th annual Nike Hoop Summit game in Memphis, pitting Team USA against a strong team of international players.

Florida coach Billy Donovan was in Huntington last Wednesday night for a fundraiser at Marshall, where he got his head coaching start, but didn’t get to spend time with Patterson, who had already left for the Memphis practices. Donovan did take time to stump for assistant coach Donnie Jones for the Thundering Herd’s head coaching vacancy. Jones was awarded with the job on Friday.

Patterson did speak with Jones on Wednesday and Jones informed the big man that Donovan was staying at Florida.

Catching up with Groh

Virginia football coach Al Groh told us on Thursday morning that it was great to see some former Cavaliers show up at practice last Friday night.

Among them were: Terrence Wilkins (Colts), Angelo Crowell (Bills), Wali Rainer (Texans), Aaron Brooks (currently a free agent) and Antwoine Womack.

They were here for an alumni weekend.

On Friday, Groh said he would like to have a backup quarterback in place by the end of spring drills, but isn’t sure that will happen.

Junior Scott Deke and redshirt freshman Marc Verica are currently slugging it out to back up returning starter Jameel Sewell.

“The earliest possible time, the better,” said Groh of deciding on a backup. “It’s not a major issue. It would be nice if we could, but we haven’t thought of it as a necessity.”

Groh said that because Verica was redshirted last season that anything he does in the spring will be considered progress given his starting point.

“It’s gone about the way we would expect,” Groh said of the two backups. “Sporadic on a play-to-play basis. This is the most turns (Deke) has ever gotten. He’s been able to show and do some things that he hadn’t previously. He has an idea of where the ball is to go, but must now improve his accuracy.”

What about Sewell?

Groh said that if Virginia were playing a real game this weekend that Sewell could play from “a throwing standpoint, but doesn’t have everything on his fastball right now.”

The coach said Sewell has been able to do more in spring drills than previously thought in December when the quarterback underwent wrist surgery on his throwing hand.

“If we played today, we’d have to have good pass protection because we wouldn’t want [Sewell] to get knocked down a lot and have to brace himself (with his wrist),” Groh said.

Bestwick reunion

Give former Wahoo H. James Taylor, better known as “JT,” credit for putting together a reunion of the UVa football teams from 1979-83 (April 12-15).

Taylor, who after his gridiron career ended here, took over as Cavalier mascot for the 1983-84 basketball season, said that former Virginia coach Dick Bestwick, who lives in Athens, Ga., will headline the event.

At least 30 of the players and some assistant coaches from those teams will return to honor Bestwick, including All-American Jim Dombrowski.

More will follow as details come together.

For Pete’s sake

We never really bought the hype that former Virginia coach and Charlottesville resident Pete Gillen would take the Marshall job.

Gillen told our pal, Charleston Daily Mail sports editor Jack Bogaczyk, better known to Virginia media as “Pops” (he was a longtime columnist at The Roanoke Times before heading to West Virginia), that Marshall called him and wanted to talk to him about its basketball job, but Gillen replied to AD Bob Marcum, “No, not me ... I told Bob that I wasn’t the guy.”

Gillen is apparently holding out for a better gig or nothing at all. He appears to have a bright future as a TV basketball analyst.

UVa baseball a real draw

We wrote about Virginia’s baseball progress earlier this week and how the fans have responded.

Thanks to Andy Fledderjohann, here’s a glance at how the attendance figures have grown over the past six seasons (note this is average fans per home game):

2007: 1,341 (18 games)

2006: 1,559 (37 games)

2005: 1,141 (36 games)

2004: 1,363 (33 games)

2003: 582 (28 games)

2002: 632 (25 games)

It should be noted that last year’s record attendance will probably be surpassed this season with about half the home games yet to be played against mostly ACC competition and, hopefully, warmer weather.

Alumni

One local resident and one former local resident earned some distinction this week outside the state.

Jimmy Miller, who starred for Virginia’s basketball team during its run to the Final Four in 1984, was rated as the sixth-best post player in West Virginia high school basketball history by radio celebrity Frank Giardina in a weekly column he writes for the Charleston Daily Mail.

Miller played on two Class AAA state championship teams for Princeton High before coming to Virginia.

Current Huntington standout Patrick Patterson was rated the No. 1 post player in state prep history, just ahead of Earl Jones, who was the Lakers’ first-round choice, also in ’84.

Another man of honor is Hubert Mizell, the longtime sports editor and columnist of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, who lived at Wintergreen just outside Charlottesville for a few years before his home state beckoned him back. Mizell, who lives in Gainesville, Fla., writes occasionally for the paper there as he did here a few times.

Anyways, Mizell was one of 14 sportswriters and sportscasters who were honored by Augusta National this week for covering a minimum of 40 Masters. This year is the 40th consecutive for Mizell and for Virginia resident David Kindred.

I had the pleasure of hosting both of these great writers at Old Trail last summer and, needless to say, it was a fun afternoon.

Touching all bases ...

... It was interesting to see that 12,200 fans showed up at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville (where the ACC Tournament will be played) a few days ago to watch Florida beat top-ranked Florida State, 16-7, setting a state record for most fans to watch a college baseball game (the previous record was 8,777 for a Texas at Miami game 11 years ago. ... Updating the 2005 Daily Progress Central Virginia Football Player of the Year, we spotted that former Orange County High and Fork Union post-grad Brent Trice is having a solid spring at Vanderbilt. Trice, a safety, led all tacklers in the Black & Gold scrimmage with nine total tackles. ... Former UVa basketball player Elton Brown was named to the All-NBA Development League first team this week (the team was voted on by the league’s head coaches). Brown plays center for the Colorado 14ers.

 

Jones, Scott get a feel for each other
By David Driver / Special to The Daily Progress
April 7, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - A pair of future University of Virginia basketball players got an early primer on life on the road in the Atlantic Coast Conference here Thursday night at the 34th annual Capital Classic.

Playing for the U.S. All-Stars against the Capital All-Stars, future Cavalier guard Jeff Jones had an easy breakaway layup in the second half. Instead, he left a pass to future Virginia teammate Mike Scott, only to have the ball bounce away near Scott’s feet.

Jones retrieved the ball and missed a baseline jumper, much to the delight of the crowd of 3,127 that included red-clad fans of the Maryland Terps at the Comcast Center.

“Put Jones back in,” yelled one of those fans, after Jones left the game a little later.

Seconds later, as if on cue, Scott missed a dunk - which brought more howls from the fans at the homecourt of Terps. And Jones heard the typical “air ball” chant after one of his shots misfired.

Those remarks are something that Jones and Scott will have to get used to in the future. Their team lost, 149-145, in a game that obviously lacked a lot of defense.

“I knew it was coming. I knew it was coming,” Jones said of the fans’ reaction. “That is part of the game. I was trying to focus on the game. I was focused on the game and trying to get a win, but we didn’t. I tried to tune it out. You could hear them. The only voice I really listened to is my parents up there. The others I try to tune out.”

Said Scott: “They yelled at him. I told him not to worry about it. It is going to be a lot worse [during the ACC season].”

Delaware resident Jones, a 6-foot-5 guard from Monsignor Bonner in Philadelphia, made 3 of 9 shots from the field and had seven points, three rebounds and one assist in 21 minutes. The game consisted of 12-minute quarters.

“I have a lot of confidence in him for the next four years,” Scott said of Jones.

Scott, a 6-8 forward from Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, was named one of the stars of the game as he made 11 of 18 shots and had 25 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes of action.

“I think I played OK. We came out to have a good time,” said Scott, who plans to workout at his home in Chesapeake and then began classes in May in Charlottesville.

Jones said of Scott: “As soon as I met him, I could really see myself with him at Virginia.”

Scott played at Deep Creek High in Tidewater before one season at Hargrave.

The U.S. team also included a pair of Virginia Tech signees (Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen) and Dino Gregory, who is headed to Maryland. Scott said the group enjoyed talking trash the past few days.

The players arrived in the Washington area on Tuesday, and they went out to eat Wednesday night after a slam-dunk contest and 3-point shooting contest at nearby DeMatha Catholic High in Hyattsville, Md.

Jones plans to spend his summer in Delaware, but hopes to make a weekend trip to Charlottesville to hang out with his future teammates and play some pickup ball. He said the Cavaliers’ successful season makes him all the more eager to join the fold.

“I am looking forward to getting down there and spend time with the guys,” Jones said. “I think this year, with the new arena and the new coach, everyone knows Virginia is a team to reckon with in the ACC and in the nation.”

 

Virginia deep in secondary
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
April 7, 2007

It was anything short of Who’s Who list of cornerbacks.

At least at the time of his arrival in 2001, Virginia coach Al Groh was lacking experience, and lots of it, at cornerback.

Unproven names such as Almondo Curry, Rashad Roberson, Alex Seals and Art Thomas were tossed around as potential corners in the months leading up to Groh’s first game at Wisconsin.

Times, as they say, have changed.

Thanks to a solid spring practice and a wealth of talent arriving in August, Virginia should enter the 2007 season with its deepest group of cornerbacks under Groh, a process that took longer than many would have liked.

“I think we went into the first season here with no corners who had ever played extensively in a game,” Groh recounted. “So for a while there, we were playing catch-up at the position and having to, in order to catch up in terms of numbers, play some young players immediately upon getting here.”

Some of those players stumbled mightily, and Groh admits he would rather not revisit that scenario.

“We hope that we are moving into a stage now where that is going to become an unusual thing for us,” Groh said. “We had some issues out there in the past with some players who were just thrown out there in some circumstances that they didn’t have a fair opportunity to be prepared for.”

In order to add versatility, Groh said his staff thought it made sense to rotate the leading contenders for playing time during spring practice. Mike Brown, Chris Cook and Vic Hall have each seen action on the left and right sides.

“We kind of want to avoid that ‘Who’s the left corner? Who’s the right corner deal? Who is the strong corner? Who is the short-side corner?’” Groh pointed out. “They are playing left and right, which causes them all to become strong and weak corners based on how the formation comes out.”

Redshirt freshmen Mike Parker and Trey Womack are currently listed behind the veterans on the depth chart.

Groh said Parker “is doing a nice job,” and Womack is “profiting from what he is getting out the spring.”

Additional help is on the way.

Chase Minnifield, once considered a would-be wideout, is currently being slotted at the position. The two-way standout from Lexington, Ky., is excited, Groh said, about playing defense.

Minnifield, who underwent anterior cruciate ligament surgery after a basketball injury suffered during his senior season, has told Groh that he plans to be at 100 percent in August.

“He is smiling about [the rehab], which would indicate that he is feeling pretty positive about it,” Groh said. “His dad, [former Cleveland Browns cornerback Frank Minnifield] said he is rehabbing twice a day, which is pretty typical to how he has approached everything there at Henry Clay [High].

“I guess it is an affirmation of that saying about the apple not falling too far from the tree, because that is certainly the approach to playing that his dad had.”

A decision, however, will be needed on two other incoming players, Ras-I Dowling and Dom Joseph, who boast impressive accolades on the offensive and defensive sides of the field.

Regardless, the depth at cornerback is apparent.

“There will certainly be two or three that that’s where they will end up,” Groh said. “If we can maintain where we are with this group. We only ought to have to use them when they are ready as opposed to when they are needed.”

Gordie gets good news

According to multiple sources, Virginia offensive lineman Gordie Sammis was granted his fifth year of eligibility on Friday by the NCAA.

The reserve had appealed for the extra season after he appeared briefly in Virginia’s 51-0 win over Temple in 2005.

Getting better?

While the progress at cornerback remains positive, Groh said he is still looking for improvement at safety, a position where he is demanding “more precision and more detail in all aspects.”

The starters are expected to be junior Byron Glaspy and senior Nate Lyles.

“I’d say that we probably have made more progress at corner than at safety,” Groh said of the spring performance. “We would like to see that pick up here in the next couple of days.”

Extra points

Groh said he is comfortable with wideout Kevin Ogletree (ACL) entering his rehab process with the goal of playing next season. “He and I talked about it and said that’s the only way to approach it,” Groh said. “To do anything otherwise would keep the rehab from going as positively as it could. I told him we were just going to access the situation and do what is best for him on a long-term basis.” Ogletree had surgery without complications on Tuesday. ... Expect quarterback Jameel Sewell to get his fair share of work in today’s practice. That is possible, Groh said, because Friday’s session focused on special teams work. ... Today’s open practice is slated to start at 9:45 a.m. and last until 12:21 p.m.

 

Immeasurable safety
After friend's death, Thompson promoting sideline defibrillators
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
April 7, 2007

After Drew Thompson decided he wanted to play lacrosse at the University of Virginia, one of his first thoughts was whether the uniform No. 12 would be available. It wasn’t his lucky number, or the number of some professional player that he used to idolize.

The number belonged to Louis Acompora, Thompson’s best friend in high school. Acompora died on the lacrosse field during the pair’s freshmen year at Northport High School in New York.

The 14-year-old Acompora, whom Thompson had known since the second grade, fell victim to one of the flukiest killers you’ll ever hear about - commotio cordis.

It’s a syndrome resulting from a blunt impact to the chest - during a precise point in one’s heartbeat - that leads to cardiac arrest. It can happen in just about any sport, from baseball to karate.

“It has to be perfect timing and the perfect spot,” explained Thompson, Virginia’s senior co-captain. “It happens a lot in younger kids because they’re underdeveloped. It’s just real freaky.”

Acompora died on March 25, 2000, while playing goalie for the Northport High freshman team.

Thompson, a member of the school’s JV squad at the time, vividly recalls his friend’s final hours.

“I told him, ‘Good luck’ because it was his first freshman game,” Thompson said. “He was good enough to be on the JV, but the freshman team needed him because he was the only goalie in that class.”

Thompson was supposed to play in the JV scrimmage, but stayed home because he was sick. Later that day, Thompson received a phone call from his father and brother. Both were sobbing.

“They were like, ‘We need to tell you something when we get home,’” Thompson said.

Shortly after, Thompson found out that the kid who used to sleep over at his house all the time, the kid he did everything with, had died.

Thompson was in complete shock.

“It was one of those things you just can’t believe,” Thompson said. “It was crazy. Nobody had ever heard of someone passing away from being hit by a lacrosse ball.

“It was a routine bounce shot that came up and he blocked it with his chest. He scooped the ball up, took a step and then just collapsed.”

According to the United States Commotio Cordis Registry that was formed three years ago, there have been 75 documented cases of the syndrome.

However, the true number of fatalities is anybody’s guess because of the confusion in categorizing it.

It is said that young athletes are especially at risk to commotio cordis because of the “pliability of their chest walls.” Equipment doesn’t seem to make any difference. Even athletes wearing chest protectors have died. And, often times, the ball that strikes them isn’t traveling very fast.

Shortly after their son died, John and Karen Acompora formed the Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation in an effort to educate people about the syndrome.

Thompson has been extremely active with the foundation since its inception.

“From the first day that I’ve known him, this foundation has been a part of his life, a part of who he is,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia. “This is something where tremendous good has come out of a real tragedy.

“For Drew, it’s a very real thing. It’s not a convenient community service thing. This is part of his life and part of who he is. He takes it very seriously.”

Thompson is heavily involved, according to Karen Acompora.

“He keeps appraised of everything going on,” she said. “He always talks [to media members] about the foundation and what it does … it’s a great thing and helps our cause.”

In 2001, New York State passed “Louis’ Law.” It requires all public high schools to have a defibrillator program.

Louis may have had a chance of surviving if such a program had been in existence at the time of his accident. It took paramedics 15 minutes to arrive at the scene.

“The reason why a defibrillator is so important is because every minute that you don’t have one, you lose 10-percent chance of survival,” Thompson said. “You can’t be recessitated with CPR. You need to jumpstart the heart.”

Today, the Acomporas travel the country in an effort to spread the word about commotio cordis. Their goal is to set up defibrillator programs in all high schools.

Virginia has a defibrillator on the sideline for all of its games, according to Thompson, who remains extremely close with the Acompora family. Last season, they came to Philadelphia to watch him play in the NCAA Final Four.

Last summer, Thompson was in the wedding of Louis’ older sister, Alyssa. During the festivities, he read a poem in honor of Louis that was written by Eamon McEneaney, a former lacrosse player at Cornell who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“It was very poignant, and a nice thing for us to be able to reflect,” said Karen Acompora. “It was pretty much about death and, ‘Don’t miss me, I’m still here.’ It was really nice.”

It’s easy to understand why wearing No. 12 was so important to Thompson. Luckily, the number was available when he arrived on grounds because former All-American Billy Glading had just graduated. “It was great that I could wear it right away,” Thompson said.

Since then, all Northport lacrosse players - and even some athletes in other sports - have honored Louis by wearing No. 12 when they get to college.

“He was the type of kid who lit up a room, very outgoing,” Thompson said. “He just kind of had an aura about him. We were inseparable.”

No doubt, Louis would be proud of the work Thompson is doing now. According to the Acomporas, there have been 31 “saves” in the state of New York because of “Louis’ Law.” Eight of those survivors were at a fundraising banquet in October.

“It was just amazing,” Thompson said, “to see all of them step up and say that if it wasn’t for Louis and the foundation, they wouldn’t be living.”

Ground balls

No. 2 Virginia (9-1, 1-0 ACC) hopes to set a new attendance record when it hosts No. 11 North Carolina tonight at Klockner Stadium at 7 p.m. UVa, which has won nine straight since dropping it season opener to Drexel, is shooting for over 8,000 fans. “The local support for soccer and lacrosse has grown in the last two years and has been tremendous,” Starsia said. “I talked to [Maryland coach Dave Cottle] and he told me that the atmosphere here is striking. The big crowd certainly provides an edge. When you get that kind of atmosphere, it’s a real treat for everybody. If we can get that kind of crowd [tonight], I think it will really help us against the Heels.” No. 11 UNC (7-3, 0-2) is coming off an upset of No. 5 Johns Hopkins. … UVa is 41-20 all-time against the Tar Heels, including a 20-10 mark in Charlottesville. … The Cavaliers have won the last three meetings, including a 21-13 victory last season.

 

Post-season games showcase future Hokies
Ramon Williams emerges as Hokies’ possibility
By Doug Doughty

If you’re a Virginia Tech or a Virginia Tech or a Clemson, part of the challenge in basketball recruiting is to identify a talented player before he “blows up” and attracts the attention of a North Carolina or Duke.

It appears that is what Tech has accomplished with its 2007-2008 entering class, based on reports from recent all-star games in Baltimore and College Park, Md.

Hokies’ signee Augustus “Gus” Gilchrist was named most valuable player Thursday night at the Capital Classic, notching 24 points and nine rebounds as the Capital All-Stars defeated the U.S. All-Stars 149-145 at Comcast Center in College Park, Md.

The leading scorer for the Capital All-Stars was Gilchrist’s future Hokies’ teammate, Malcom Delaney, who had game highs with 31 points and seven steals. A third Tech recruit, Jeff Allen, had a game-high 15 rebounds.

Allen played on the U.S. All-Star team with his Hargrave Military Academy teammate and fellow future Hokie, Dorenzo Hudson, who had a game-high six turnovers but contributed 14 points.

Delaney is rated the nation’s ninth-best point guard by scout.com, but you look at his offensive numbers, including a game-high 27 points Sunday in Baltimore’s Charm City Classic, and it’s easy to see him joining current freshman Nigel Munson in the Hokies’ 2007-2008 starting backcourt.

Delaney was named MVP of the Charm City Classic, in which he also had six assists.

“Remember, we’ve also got two double-figure scorers coming back,” Tech coach Seth Greenberg.

That would be 6-foot-7 power forward Deron Washington, who will be a senior, and 6-6 small forward A.D. Vassallo, who will be a junior.

If Washington were a better shooter, he would be a small forward. If Vassallo were quicker, he would be a big guard. Maybe that’s why they’re averaging in double figures at Tech and not coming off the bench at Duke or UNC.

So, if Munson and Delaney join the two double-figure returnees, who’s going to take Coleman Collins’ spot in the post?

With all due respect to Cheick Diakite and Robert Krabbendam, Gilchrist’s performance on the all-star circuit may have turned him into the player to beat.

“We evaluated him early and felt he really had a chance to be a difference-maker,” Greenberg said Friday. “He’s filled our prophecy, I guess.

“He’s worked extremely hard. He’s very dedicated. He really has a great work ethic [and] works out every single morning at 5:30. You know, he’s just 17 years old. He doesn’t turn 18 till October.”

Greenberg estimated that Gilchrist is 6 foot 9 or 6-10 and bigger than Collins, who was listed this morning at 6-9, 240.

“He can step out and shoot it,” Greenberg said of Gilchrist. “He’s skilled. He knocked down some threes yesterday [1-for-1], from what I was told. He’s got good footwork. He’s quick. He’s grown. He’s much more explosive than he was.”

Greenberg stopped short of describing Gilchrist as a center.

“He’s just a forward, which is perfect for us, because that’s the way we play,” Greenberg said. “He’s a forward with a low-post game.”

Gilchrist committed to Tech on Feb. 20, 2006, when he was a junior at Friendly High School in Oxon Hill, Md. Delaney visited Tech on the first weekend in September and committed before he left.

Of the six players who have signed or committed to the Hokies for 2007-2008, none took an official visit to another school. Few had taken an official visit to Tech before they committed.

“That’s what we get paid for,” said Greenberg, referring to the early evaluations and offers. “Delaney’s had a great year. He reminds me a lot of Zabe [Dowdell]. He can really shoot the ball.

“He really sees the floor. The thing I like most about our recruits is they can really pass the ball. And, they’re all gym rats. Obviously, we’re going to be really inexperienced, but I really like our basketball team.”

REVIEWS FOR THE Virginia signees in the Capital Classic were a little more mixed, but if Cavalier fans could have asked for one thing, it was the performance the U.S. All-Stars got from Mike Scott.

Scott, a 6-8 forward, hit 11 of 18 shots from the field and scored 25 points in 21 minutes.

“He scored inside and out,” said Kevin Keatts, who coached Scott at Hargrave Military Academy and was coaching the U.S. All-Stars. “He knocked down a couple of jumpers, scored on some post moves and had a few dunks sprinkled in. He definitely fills a [Virginia] need.”

(Keatts also had Hudson and Allen on his team at Hargrave and said of Hudson’s six turnovers, “There’s no way that’s accurate.”).

Scott made only three of six free throws, but Keatts said he is better than a 75-percent free-throw shooter and will make ample trips to the free-throw line. No Virginia post player attempted more than three (!!!) free throws per game in 2006-2007.

The second Virginia signee in the Capital Classic, 6-4 Jeff Jones from Philadelphia was 3-for-9 from the floor and finished with seven points in 21 minutes. Jones, the highest-rated of Virginia’s four early signees, was 1-for-4 on 3-pointers. Jones had six points in the Charm City Classic.

“Jeff’s going to be a good player,” Keatts said. “I’ve seen him play a lot of times. He can really put the ball in the hole. It was kind of a rough night for him, getting booed every time he touched the ball.”

Jones had committed to Maryland last year before changing his mind and choosing Virginia as his final destination. That did not sit well with Maryland fans in Baltimore and at the Capital Classic, staged in the Terps’ home arena.

Jones was the all-time leading scorer in Philadelphia’s Catholic League but, while the Cavaliers lose J.R. Reynolds, the Cavaliers have many options at the 2-guard spot, from returnee Mamadi Diane to Jones to fellow recruit Mustapha Farrakhan and even transfer Calvin Baker.

WITH THE DEPARTURE of brother and assistant coach Brad Greenberg, who wants to take Tech director of basketball operations Rick Hall with him, Seth Greenberg is now certain to go outside to fill the vacancy.

The Hokies are expected to bring DePaul assistant Ramon Williams to campus to discuss the vacancy. Williams, a former VMI star from Roanoke, has been an assistant to Jerry Wainwright at Richmond and DePaul.
 

Bird heads back to Blacksburg
Fraternity men apologize for theft of $7,500 piece of public art; officials withhold names of those involved pending investigation
Max Hall, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

A group of University fraternity men is under criminal investigation for the theft of a Hokie bird statue recently stolen from downtown Blacksburg, Va.

Blacksburg Police Lt. Bruce Bradbery said the Hokie Bird statue went missing the weekend of March 23 from the intersection of Main Street and Clay Street. Bradbery said the Blacksburg Partnership, which owns the statue, valued it at $7,500.

Aaron Laushway, University assistant dean of students and director of fraternity and sorority life, said allegations have been leveled against members of a University fraternity. Laushway declined to reveal the name of the fraternity involved, pending a criminal investigation of the felony offense.

The accused students have admitted their involvement and are working with University officials to rectify the situation, Laushway added.

The statue has since been returned to Blacksburg.

"I am very glad to report that I have found our students to be remarkably cooperative and forthright, and it is my ardent hope that the issues involved will be resolved quickly," Laushway said.

A representative of the fraternity involved, speaking on condition of anonymity, addressed the situation.

"When the fraternity learned what happened, we told them to do the right and honorable thing and they did," the representative said.

"When this whole situation came to light and the individuals in question were notified of the seriousness, they immediately accepted responsibility, admitted to what they did and that it was wrong."

The students wrote a letter of apology and made a phone call to apologize to the Blacksburg Partnership before police became involved, the representative added.

Inter-Fraternity Council President Charlie Morgan said the IFC will not take judicial action until police and University officials release the names of the fraternity men involved.

If charges are brought up within the Greek system, the IFC Judiciary Committee will determine what actions, if any, should be taken against the fraternity in question. Morgan said the IFCJC handles charges against fraternities as institutions, rather than individual members.

Finis St. John, IFC vice president for judiciary, addressed what he called a "misconception that the IFCJC is a group of self-protecting fraternity men," saying the IFC takes all charges seriously.

"Anything that is brought to the IFCJC will be adjudicated in an honorable way," St. John said.

Though the fraternity may face sanctions from the IFC, it remains unclear whether the accused fraternity members will be brought to trial through the University Judiciary Committee or Honor Committee.

UJC Chair Connor Sullivan said he is not familiar with the incident, but said the UJC does not actively seek out students for trial, rather charges must be filed by someone in the community.

Honor Committee Chair Ben Cooper said any act of lying, cheating or stealing, even outside the Charlottesville community, can be considered an honor offense if the students involved are acting as representatives of the University or of a student group.

Dean of Students Penny Rue said the Hokie bird's disappearance at the hands of University students was an act of "vandalism and theft, and absolutely not consistent with the expectations we have of our students."

 

Cavaliers face off against Tar Heels
Virginia looks to secure second straight ACC victory against rejuvenated North Carolina squad
Megan McDonald, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

The old adage that there is no rest for the weary is resonating this week with the Virginia men's lacrosse team. After winning their ACC season opener Saturday against Maryland, the Cavaliers fought hard to come back from a three-goal deficit to defeat Binghamton in a tough mid-week matchup. Now, as the team prepares for its second ACC foe of the week, Virginia finds itself taking on a newly confident North Carolina team.

"This is an important conference game," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "We have to get some rest and get ready to play because we are going to have our hands full with North Carolina --- they are playing very well at this moment."

The Tar Heels jumped five spots in the polls this week to No. 10 after upsetting Johns Hopkins 13-10 last weekend. The come-from-behind victory ended a string of 13 straight losses to the Blue Jays dating back to 1994.

In that contest, North Carolina won the ground ball and face-off battles while showing considerable depth on offense. Five different Tar Heels, none of whom were in the starting line-up, scored two goals apiece. With such balanced scoring and North Carolina junior defenseman Tim Kaiser notching two against the Blue Jays, the Cavalier defense recognizes that any Tar Heel with the ball poses a scoring threat.

The Hopkins game puts North Carolina one step closer to its first NCAA Tournament berth in three years and the Tar Heels will arrive in Charlottesville hungry for their second straight upset.

"They are a good team coming off of a huge win," senior goalkeeper Kip Turner said. "They are fighting for playoff contention just like everybody else so it is going to be a battle out there."

The Cavaliers are well aware that a repeat of their lackluster performance Tuesday will not secure a win over North Carolina. If they hope to stop the Tar Heels from riding their wave of confidence to victory, the Cavaliers must come out hard at the very beginning and sustain their energy until the final buzzer.

"Not only was that performance disappointing, it is not acceptable," Starsia said. "They all know that we have to play better because anything less than that is not going to get it done. It looked like we were painting pictures in the first half of that game -- we would cross the midline with the ball in our stick and decide it was time to pose. That can't happen in the games coming up."

Virginia will have a considerable home advantage Saturday night. As the Cavaliers try to extend their winning streak at Klöckner Stadium to 23 games, they hope to break their program's previous attendance record of 8,000 fans.

"It seems like over the last two years that the local support for lacrosse and soccer at Klöckner has grown," Starsia said. "It has been tremendous. For kids that play a sport like ours, when you get a crowd and you get this kind of atmosphere, it's a treat for everybody."

After playing in Charlottesville last Saturday, Maryland coach Dave Cottle told Starsia the atmosphere at Klöckner was striking. There is a consensus among players and coaches that a large crowd provides Virginia with an edge.

"With the fans' energy, it is like having another player on the field," Turner said. "It just helps out with the whole atmosphere. We aren't losing under the lights at Klöckner Saturday."

 

Cavs look to scorch Seminoles, 'Canes
No. 2 Virginia heads to the Sunshine State this weekend to compete in two conference matches against Florida State and Miami; ready to defend standing as first in ACC
Campbell Grant, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

Spring Break may have been three weeks ago but apparently the Cavaliers didn't get the memo. Virginia will head south to Florida this weekend for another set of grueling ACC matches in what will be Virginia's final road trip of the year before postseason play begins.

The No. 2 Cavaliers (19-3, 7-0 ACC) are riding a five-game winning streak and have won their first seven matches for the third year in a rowyear. This weekend Virginia will face No. 35 Miami (9-9, 4-3 ACC) and No. 27 Florida State (11-7, 3-4 ACC), which both dropped matches to North Carolina and Duke last weekend.

With home games against No. 6 North Carolina and No. 21 Duke next weekend, many teams would get caught looking ahead. But in the ACC, the teams Virginia faces day in and day out are all elite, and the Cavaliers have demonstrated their ability to take one match at a time. The tough, non-conference schedule is also starting to pay dividends for the Cavaliers. After facing top-ranked teams such as Georgia, Illinois and Pepperdine, the ACC schedule appears less daunting.

"I feel the whole year we've had a lot of competitive matches and played some tough teams," junior Treat Huey said. "Even if we have a little of an off day we still play really well."

Huey and junior Somdev Devvarman continue to lead the way for Virginia. Devvarman was named ACC Player of the Week Monday, marking the third time he has won the award this year. Huey and Devvarman have combined to win the award in five of the 11 weeks so far this season and are clearly among the best in the conference.

No. 2 Devvarman and Huey have won their past three matches and are starting to play their best tennis of the season so far with the ACC Tournament fast approaching.

"We're getting used to the outdoors matches and the home crowds have been great." Devvarman said. "We're just trying to get out there and set a tone for the rest of the guys. So that's what we're working on."

Miami should present a tough match for Huey, Devvarman and the rest of the Cavaliers this weekend. The Hurricanes are stronger at the top than most ACC teams and lost to Duke in Durham only 4-3. Miami is led by seniors Luigi D'Agord and Josh Cohen who are the No. 8 doubles pair in the nation. Cohen has won 78 doubles matches and is just three wins short of the all-time Miami record for doubles wins set 30 years ago. No. 20 D'Agord should present a challenge for Devvarman, and Cohen, though unranked, is coming off an upset win against No. 48 Kiril Dimitrov of Duke.

Although Florida State is not as strong at the top as Miami, it is a much deeper team, nearly upsetting North Carolina last weekend. To beat the Seminoles, Virginia will need strong singles play, especially from redshirt freshman Dominic Inglot who struggled before a hard fought win against Scott Blackmon of Georgia Tech last weekend.

"[Dominic] needs to compete regardless of how he feels when things aren't going his way," Virginia coach Brian Boland said. "This is something that he's done a better job of, but we need to continue to work on it."

If Virginia continues to play like it has in its past several matches, the Cavaliers should put themselves in a position to dispatch Florida State and Miami and continue their winning streak.