Singletary still not talking
Junior guard backs out of panel discussion fearing rules violation
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
April 18, 2007

Virginia star Sean Singletary has yet to comment publicly since the end of basketball season, so the question of how serious he is about leaving school early for the NBA remains a little bit hazy.

However, on Tuesday there was a somewhat positive development for UVa fans.

Singletary, on the advice of the school’s compliance office, pulled out of a scheduled speaking engagement that was being presented by the VCU SportsCenter in Richmond.

The first-team All-ACC guard had planned on taking part in “The Journey: On the Field and Beyond,” a panel discussion with a number of current and former college athletes, including Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell and VCU coach Anthony Grant.

The NCAA forbids student-athletes from being paid for appearances, and although the event organizer said he would not have been paid, Singletary elected to err on the side of caution.

“I think there was a misunderstanding,” said Virginia spokesman Rich Murray, when asked why Singletary was advised not to attend. “Our compliance office indicates that it would have been OK if a proper procedure was followed, but they weren’t contacted by anybody.”

If Singletary had already decided to turn pro, chances are school officials wouldn’t have been very concerned with potential eligibility improprieties.

Singletary, according to Murray, continues to gather information about his professional prospects.

The deadline to declare for the NBA Draft, which takes place on June 20 in New York City, is April 29.

Only first-round picks receive guaranteed contracts. In 2002, former Virginia captain Roger Mason Jr. left early for the NBA but was not selected until the second round.

Players who have college eligibility remaining and have not hired an agent have until June 18 to withdraw from the proceedings and return to school.

“I don’t think we have a family or a young man on our hands who is going to do something that is not in his best interests,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao told The Daily Progress on April 13.

Singletary, a junior, averaged a team-leading 19.0 points this past season and was named first-team All-ACC for the second straight year. His departure, coupled with J.R. Reynolds’ graduation, would leave Virginia extremely thin in the backcourt.

It was after UVa’s second-round loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament that Singletary told the Daily Progress that he would test the NBA waters. However, two days later he said he was misquoted.

Prior to that, Singletary stated on numerous occasions that he would never leave school early.

One enticement for Singletary to return is the fact that Virginia will be participating in a Thanksgiving tournament in his hometown of Philadelphia this coming season.

According to Murray, Singletary will not be granting any interviews until he and his family have arrived at a decision.

“They’re still weighing their options,” he said.

 

Schaub happy in new home
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
April 18, 2007

There are a lot of new things in Matt Schaub’s life: a new house in a new city, a new fiancé, and most importantly in terms of his profession, a new beginning as a starting NFL quarterback.

It has been nearly a month since the Atlanta Falcons traded Schaub to the Houston Texans, netting him a six-year deal worth $48 million. In return for that price tag, he will replace veteran David Carr as the starter and automatically become the face of the franchise.

No wonder Schaub was beaming when he showed up in the press box at Scott Stadium last Saturday to watch Virginia’s Spring Game. His girlfriend, Laurie, whom he met while in Atlanta, accompanied him.

The former Cavaliers quarterback, who essentially rewrote UVa’s passing records, has spent the last three seasons as a backup to Michael Vick in Atlanta. Getting an opportunity to start is a refreshing thought, but it didn’t happen as easily as it might have appeared.

Anatomy of a trade

Trade rumors began to follow Schaub as soon as the Falcons hired Bobby Petrino as its new coach and Petrino committed to giving Vick more command of the offense.

Oakland was very interested in obtaining Schaub, who was a restricted free agent that could have remained in Atlanta for one more year before becoming a free agent.

Houston didn’t come calling until Texans coach Gary Kubiak did his homework. Kubiak talked at length with Virginia coach Al Groh, Bill Musgrave and Alex Gibbs, to find out everything he could about the man who could potentially lead the Houston club to the NFL’s Promised Land.

Gibbs was the Falcons’ former offensive line coach and had worked with Kubiak in Denver. Musgrave was the first offensive coordinator that Schaub played for at Virginia, and the two have remained close ever since, even though Musgrave bounced around the NFL until last season when the pair was reunited in Atlanta.

Musgrave, by the way, played quarterback for then-offensive coordinator Kubiak in Denver.

The right man for the job

The trio of coaches convinced the two-year Houston head coach that Schaub could become a consistent winner in the NFL. So, once Kubiak was convinced that Schaub was the right man for the Texans, the coach had to convince Schaub that the Texans were the right fit for him.

The coach flew to Newport Beach, Calif., to play a round of golf with Schaub, who was in a charity tournament there for his agent, Job Branion of Athletes First.

“When Coach Kubiak came out to play golf, I stayed an extra day just to get a feel for one another and to develop that coach and quarterback bond,” Schaub said during halftime of the UVa Spring Game. “I realized it was such a good fit, which allowed us to get the deal done in like 24 hours.”

Schaub really liked what he saw in his new coach and embraced the opportunity to learn from him.

“[Kubiak’s] a young, energetic coach, and what stands out about him is that he played quarterback at this level,” Schaub said. “He played for Denver, backing up [John] Elway all those years and then coached in the same system as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator.”

Because Denver’s and Houston’s systems are similar to what Schaub ran in Atlanta and even at Virginia, and since the terminology isn’t that different, it should be a smooth transition.

Speaking of which, Schaub stepped up into a leadership role immediately with the franchise, calling every Texans teammate that he could get a number for the first weekend he signed with the team.

“I just wanted to develop a relationship with my teammates,” he said. “That goes above and beyond the X’s and O’s and the game planning. You have to have that chemistry with your teammates, because that goes further than any passes or any statistics. That’s the heart and core of the game of football.”

In Houston, Schaub has been reunited with former Wahoo teammate Wali Lundy, one of the team’s running backs. With returning Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson and newly acquired running back Ahman Green, the Texans suddenly made strides as a more dangerous offense.

Because he played mostly in preseason games and either mop-up duty or when Vick was injured, Schaub provides Houston with a seasoned veteran without the three years of lumps and bruises.

“I look at it as if I gained three years on the end of my career because I haven’t been beaten up,” Schaub chuckled. “It was very valuable to be in Atlanta behind Michael Vick and learn how the league works, how to prepare for games, how to deal with media, how to game plan, watching films. It was a chance to sit back and learn, but at the same time getting a chance to play.”

Then there’s the situation of signing a $48 million contract ($7 million of which is guaranteed), certainly more money than Schaub dreamed of when he was battling for a starting role as Virginia’s quarterback five years ago.

“In this day and age, when you see some of these contracts written, it does make your heart stop for a second,” he said. “But you’ve still got to go out and play and produce on the field. I’m finally looking forward to getting to play some ball.”

So, did he go out and do anything crazy with some of his new, staggering wealth?

“No, I’ve made two purchases,” Schaub said. “I got a house and I just got engaged (sorry girls), so I purchased an engagement ring the other day.”

Without a doubt though, Schaub said he has sensed the excitement of building a potentially winning football team in Houston, where the Texans (6-10 last season) have suffered through five straight losing campaigns during their short existence.

“Houston is a football town and Texas is a football state,” Schaub said. “They’re thirsty for a winning organization. It’s year-round down there. They love their football.”

No doubt that before too long, they’ll fall in love with Matt Schaub, too.
 

Cavs swipe another
Miclat breaks single-season steals record
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
April 18, 2007

It was only fitting that the player honoring Jackie Robinson would do something special to help out a teammate.

Virginia center fielder Mike Mitchell, who donned the famous No. 42 in tribute of Robinson, was on the front end of two double steals with Greg Miclat on Tuesday, helping Miclat set the school’s single-season record for stolen bases with 27.

While Mitchell and Miclat combined for five stolen bases, Virginia used consistent scoring to blast Richmond, 12-5, at Davenport Field.

UVa claimed the season sweep over the Spiders and improved to 32-8 on the year. Richmond, tied for second place in the Atlantic 10, fell to 22-15.

Mitchell, the lone black player on Virginia’s roster, was allowed to wear No. 42 to honor Robinson on Tuesday after the team’s game on Sunday with Georgia Tech was postponed.

The senior would have made Robinson proud - he went 4 for 5, scored three runs, stole three bases and delivered an RBI single. But, in pure Robinson-like fashion, the team captain shifted the credit to Miclat.

In the third inning with the game tied 1-1, Mitchell singled up the middle and stole second before Miclat reached on a four-pitch walk. Moments later, Mitchell and Miclat stole in unison, tying Miclat for the program record with David Stone, who stole 26 bases in 2002.

Not only did both runners score in the frame, which gave Virginia a 3-1 lead, but they also had a conversation about the milestone that was suddenly within Miclat’s reach.

“We had talked about it, so I knew I had to take off in my next opportunity to let him break the record,” said Mitchell, who now has 43 stolen bases in his own career.

Luckily for Virginia, the duo did not have to wait long to make history.

With one out in the fourth, Mitchell and Miclat were once again standing at second and first base, respectively.

“I had the green light and I looked over at him and I said, ‘Alright, I am going to let him do it now,’” Mitchell recounted. “I just took off and, luckily, I was safe and he was safe.

“I was just glad he got to break the record at home.”

Miclat, who finished 2 for 3 with three runs and two RBI, said his two steals were a credit to Mitchell.

“Tonight’s steals were easy, almost a piece of cake,” Miclat said. “Mitchell did all the work and all I did was to follow suit.”

While the two were creating havoc on the bases, Virginia scored multiple runs in five of the Cavalier’s eight frames at the plate as four different Richmond pitchers combined to allow 16 hits.

“I was disappointed with how we performed in a couple of situations early, but in the back half of the game I thought we swung the bats well,” said UVa coach Brian O’Connor. “We weren’t passive. We were very aggressive.”

Virginia starting pitcher Jeff Lorick earned the win on the mound, tossing five solid innings. The freshman, who allowed five hits and two earned runs, improved to 2-0.

Richmond freshman Chris Sullivan took the loss, falling to 0-2, after giving up three runs in three innings.

Virginia returns to action on Friday at 7:15 p.m. as it opens a three-game series at Clemson.

 

Cavs outlast George Mason's stall tactics
By Drew Hansen / dhansen@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
April 18, 2007

FAIRFAX - The game plan for the George Mason women’s lacrosse team was a simple one on Tuesday night: Keep the ball away from Virginia.

By holding possession and picking its opportunities, Mason hoped to take the high-powered Virginia offense right out of the game.

The plan worked - for a little more than a half, anyway.

Virginia couldn’t run and gun as much as it would have liked, but the seventh-ranked Cavaliers gutted out a 12-6 road win over the Patriots on a cold, windy night at George Mason Stadium.

Kate Breslin and Brittany Kalkstein scored three goals apiece for Virginia, and Blair Weymouth added three assists after overcoming a slow and sloppy start.

“Mason did a nice job of holding their possessions pretty well and picking and choosing their opportunities when they went to goal,” said Virginia coach Julie Myers of the game’s first 15 minutes. “We certainly went up and down the field a whole bunch, but we weren’t scoring.”

Mason (5-8) took the opening draw and slipped into a slow, deliberate attack. Melissa Venturi and Melissa Curry netted back-to-back scores within a 2-minute span for a 2-0 Mason lead with 18 minutes, 27 seconds remaining in the first half.

Virginia (12-3) had some early chances on fastbreaks but couldn’t find the net. Attack Megan Havrilla had a one-on-one opportunity with Mason goalie Sara Longobucco after picking up a ground ball 12 yards off the net. Her shot sailed over the crossbar, as did another shot from Breslin minutes later.

This certainly wasn’t the start the Cavs wanted after falling to Johns Hopkins on Saturday - nor one they were expecting against a Mason team that had lost its four previous games in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Breslin finally got the Cavs on the board at 11:59 as they settled into a set offense. Ashley McCulloch and Kalkstein each followed with goals in quick succession to give Virginia its first lead at the 9:38 mark.

Mason’s Megan Udovich and Virginia’s Megan O’Malley traded goals before halftime for a 4-3 Virginia lead.

“We knew in the second half that we needed to come out and really play well,” said McCulloch, who played at nearby W.T. Woodson High School and had many friends and former teammates on hand. “Our passes weren’t on, we were playing sloppy and stuff. We knew we needed to tighten it up and play better. … It was the little things that weren’t working for us.”

Virginia got it together in a big way in the second half. Weymouth scored just 30 seconds into the frame, and, after each team traded a pair of goals, Kalkstein netted back-to-back scores in a little more than a minute to turn the tide for Virginia. The freshman from Baltimore went between Longobucco’s legs on a penalty for the first of the pair, then connected with Weymouth on a top-side cut for the other and a 9-5 lead.

“In the first half we were kind of at a lull and we needed to have things pick up in our favor, so [my goals] helped a little bit,” Kalkstein said. “It’s just all about controlling the ball, and I think winning draw controls helped that too and really changed the tempo to our favor.”

Kalkstein won three of Virginia’s 14 draw controls, and the Cavs took better care of ball in second half to work through spells of sloppy play. The team committed 19 turnovers to Mason’s 22, but Myers wasn’t too pleased the Cavs’ stickhandling.

“I think we got away with some sloppy plays because George Mason wasn’t quite good enough to capitalize on our mistakes,” Myers said. “Clearly, a lot of our transitions … were less than ideal - lots of ground balls that we ran over that needed to be our possession. For sure, lots of things that we can work on and clean up.”

Virginia closes out its regular season with an ACC game at Boston College on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Ground balls

Longobucco recorded 13 saves for Mason, while Virginia goalie Kendall McBrearty was credited with seven. … UVa freshman goalie Lauren Benner spelled McBrearty for 4:06 in the middle of the second half, surrendering one goal. … Myers used seven substitute players during the match. … Virginia outshot Mason, 34-23, and had a 20-13 edge in the second half. … Virginia held a 25-23 edge on ground balls.