Bennett's dad led to McKay hiring
Dick Bennett is a mentor to former Liberty basketball coach Ritchie McKay.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

The connection that brought Ritchie McKay to Virginia as Tony Bennett's top assistant actually began with Bennett's father, Dick.

McKay was 26 when he got his first Division I coaching job as an assistant on Jim Molinari's 1991-92 staff at Bradley.

At the time, Dick Bennett was the head coach at Wisconsin-Green Bay, where his 1990-91 team nearly knocked off Michigan State before losing 60-58 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Wisconsin-Green Bay, nicknamed the Phoenix, went 24-7 in 1990-91 and followed that with a 25-5 season in 1991-92, when it played in the NIT.

Tony Bennett played on those teams and remains UWGB's all-time scoring leader with 2,285 points between 1989-92.

"His dad served as a mentor of mine," said McKay, head coach at Liberty for the past two seasons. "I believe in Coach [Dick] Bennett very strongly. I know him a little better, probably, than I know Tony."

McKay has a younger brother, Orlando, who played wide receiver at the University of Washington and was drafted by the Packers in 1992.

"I was going up to Packers' training camp," McKay said. "I called [Dick Bennett] ahead of time and asked if I could spend five minutes with him, and he ended up spending about two hours with me.

"He was the most humble, helpful, selfless individual I had seen since my dad. I grew such an admiration for his person [and] his coaching ability. I was such a huge fan of the Phoenix and Tony and some of those guys.

"Since then, he's [Dick Bennett] been somebody I've always called for help and advice, and he's been very willing to do that for me."

McKay isn't the first person to give up a Division I head-coaching job and join Virginia's staff as an assistant. In 1982, Dave Odom resigned after three seasons as the head coach at East Carolina and went to work for Terry Holland at UVa.

Odom was at Virginia for seven years before becoming the head coach at Wake Forest, where he became a three-time ACC coach of the year.

Odom was 40 when he went to UVa; McKay turns 44 later this month.

"I almost had to hide out at the Final Four because I was getting so many questions," said McKay, who has been a head coach of five Division I programs, including Portland State, Colorado State, Oregon State and New Mexico.

"People were perplexed by the move in some cases, and others were very congratulatory. It had to be a little bit of a perfect storm, it being the University of Virginia, it being Tony Bennett and my relationship with Coach [Dick Bennett].

"It would take something that special to get me to leave a job I really loved. There was not a day I spent at Liberty when I thought about coaching anywhere else."

McKay said he had spoken with Tony Bennett prior to Bennett's decision to take UVa's offer, and Bennett mentioned the possibility of McKay joining him.

"I thought that was just two buddies talking, Tony being Tony," McKay said. "I thought about it and [decided] it couldn't be right. We couldn't do it."

On the day that Bennett decided to accept Virginia's offer, he flew across the country March 30 and met with McKay. During dinner with their two wives, Bennett let McKay know that he would like him to come to UVa.

"When we left, we let him know that we would tell him the next day," McKay said. "I got up at 5:01 and my wife [Julie] and I started praying and talking about it. It was something we felt we should do."

Much has been made of Bennett's background in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest and the need for an assistant or assistants with Virginia ties. McKay was the head coach at Liberty for only two seasons, so there is some debate whether he qualifies.

"Good question," McKay said. "I think I'm familiar with it. I'm not sure if I know everyone in the state, but I definitely have an idea of some of the best coaches.

"It is a talent-rich state. If we do a good job, Virginia basketball hopefully will get back on the national scene relative to where it was at its peak."
 

Evans awaits meeting
By Whitey Reid
Published: April 8, 2009

Jontel “Bub” Evans still hasn’t met with new Virginia coach Tony Bennett yet, but the incoming recruit doesn’t sound like a guy who’s wavering in his decision to join the program.
Evans, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound point guard from Bethel High in Hampton, told The Daily Progress on Tuesday night that he still hopes to play for UVa.
“I think he’s a good coach,” Evans said. “He’s been winning at Washington State, but I just want to meet him face-to-face.
“He sounds like a nice guy over the phone and stuff, but I want to meet him face-to-face.”
Bennett spoke with Evans and fellow incoming recruit Tristan Spurlock by phone shortly after he was named coach last week. Former Virginia coach Dave Leitao recruited both Evans and Spurlock, who are AAU teammates for Boo Williams.
Evans, who signed with UVa over Marquette and N.C. State in the fall, is rated as a 3-star recruit by Rivals.com; Spurlock is a 4-star prospect.
“He said he had heard a lot of good things about me and Tristan,” said Evans, when asked about his conversation with Bennett, “and we were the first people he called. He was basically just introducing himself to me.”
Evans doesn’t believe that Spurlock will try and get out of his letter of intent, as some people have speculated since Leitao’s departure.
“He is firm with his decision — that’s how he’s been sounding,” Evans said, “and I guess he’s supposed to be meeting with coach soon, too.”
Evans, who some experts consider a better football prospect than basketball — he was a standout in both sports at Bethel High — is known for his toughness, especially on the defensive end. That quality would seem like a good fit with Bennett, whose teams have been built around defense — the Cougars were No. 1 in defense in the Pac-10 this past season.
In addition, Bennett was a former point guard at both the college and pro level.
“That’s definitely a plus right there,” Evans said.
Evans said he is looking forward to getting his college career started.
“I’ve just been working out really hard,” he said. “Hopefully I can get up to UVa this summer and work even harder.”

Virginia's undefeated, but not by much
The Virginia Cavaliers keep winning big games by one goal. They won at Syracuse 13-12, early in the season, and then at Johns Hopkins 16-15 a month later. They hosted Maryland in the record-setting 7-overtime game, winning 10-9. U.Va. came back to beat a North Carolina team desperate for an ACC win at the Meadowlands, 11-10. The only really good team that this Virginia squad beat by a bigger spread was Cornell, in Charlottesville, 14-10. Of course they’ve achieved extended margins against many second-tier teams on their schedule, such as Drexel, Bryant, Stony Brook, Mount St. Mary’s, VMI and Vermont, not to mention a big 10-2 win over struggling Towson.

So do 1-goal wins provide more evidence of a team always teetering on the brink of a loss, or do they show a team that has the composure to win the close games? Well both, really. Certainly Virginia has the confidence now to know it can win in overtime or in a close game. But the Cavaliers also have proven that they can get into close games after running out to a great lead. Hopkins and Syracuse were way down but U.Va. just could not close the door. In my opinion, the U.Va. defense betrays the offense and the offense bails the defense out in the last minute.

Cornell proved in that 4-point loss that the short-stick defenders for Virginia could be beaten and that Ken Clausen, Virginia’s flashy star defender, will take too many risks to make the big play. Hopkins, Syracuse and North Carolina each attacked that weakness in the Virginia defense to a great degree of success. But each of those teams could not defend against the nation’s best attack and the individual star efforts of the Virginia midfielders.

The other key to all of the 1-goal wins for Virginia has been the stellar fourth-quarter play of goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman. He has literally saved each game. Whatever else happened in these exciting contests, Ghitelman was really the difference. When great goalie play determines victories, it can mean a team is flying by the seat of their pants.But it can also be the difference in the tournament between early exit and a title.

It’s interesting that Cornell is even on the schedule this year. The Cavs used to play Princeton yearly, but this year they played Cornell instead. It’s only interesting because it is Princeton that would give Virginia fits this year, with a super-disciplined and selfless defense and a run-and-gun open-style offense that could trouble the Virginia defenders easily in my opinion. We will likely get to see that matchup later on though, as both teams should reach the Final Four.

I think there is one great advantage Virginia has over the other contenders this year: the Cavaliers have glaring issues at defense and are still undefeated. Their problems can be overcome before they have a chance to be embarrassed against Princeton. Virginia’s best defender is actually Mike Timms. Timms has consistently taken a great offensive player out of the game entirely while also having to back up in instances of Clausen’s failed heroics. If Clausen bought into a team-defense approach, this team would be unstoppable and win these close ones by wide margins.

Dom Starsia enjoys employing specialists on the field. He likes to use different personnel on offense on defense at midfield. That’s supposed to mean that the best athletes are always on the field, but when a top opposing middie is matched up against a Max Pomper or John Haldy, for example, the troubles are just starting. Once one of them is beaten, Clausen overextends and the others on defense have to make up for that. With more discipline and the best athletes on defensive midfield, Virginia would be one of the great teams of all time and likely remain undefeated through the postseason.

Virginia might run the table anyway. It’s not like they didn’t get the top recruits for the last few years. They have massive amounts of talent rusting on the bench. Virginia is easily the deepest team in the nation and they play fewer personnel than most. You either start at U.Va. or you rot on the vine. The investment into some players is immense while others are like unwanted stepchildren. It’s been that way at U.Va. since the days of Ace Adams, who could have won many championships with the talent he recruited and subsequently squandered.

These are sure signs of over-recruiting, which any coach would do if he had star blue-chippers lined up to ride the bench for him. Virginia has always had that luxury. It’s the No. 1 dream-destination college for lacrosse because it has such a great balance of lacrosse, education, social life and big-time sports campus experiences with basketball and football programs in the ACC. And over-recruiting is a misnomer. I’m not saying Dom Starsia doesn’t recruit, but he doesn’t have to. I figure the most repetitive task in a Virginia lacrosse recruiter’s day is sending the gentle blow-off e-mail or just saying “no” generally.

The Cavs will face Duke and Dartmouth and then they are into the ACC and NCAA tournaments as the No. 1 seed in both. So they’ll see North Carolina again soon. Virginia, as they are now, has a chance to be one of those amazing undefeated championship teams, but they will stumble up onto that pedestal at this rate. More evident to me is what a waste it would be for this team to lose just one of those 1-goal games, when it matters, and not fulfill what is assumed to be their destiny.

Posted by John Weaver


 

U.Va. notes
By Staff Reports
Published: April 8, 2009

Behind closed doors
This is the ninth year the football team has gone through spring drills under Al Groh. He's always opened a few spring practices to fans and the media, but that may not happen this year.

U.Va.'s spring practice started March 21. It concludes April 18 with the spring game at Scott Stadium. No practices have been open thus far, and April 18 may be the first and last time for those outside the program to see the team this spring.

Five of Groh's assistants were not on the staff last season, including offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon, who's installing a spread attack. Groh said he wants to "provide maximum opportunity for focus and concentration for the players," and so has closed practices.

Rising star
With 12 career starts, Matt Conrath has the most of any defensive lineman at U.Va. And he's only a rising sophomore.

Had Jeffrey Fitzgerald been on the team, Conrath would have had a considerably lighter workload last season. But Fitzgerald withdrew from U.Va. in February 2008, and Conrath, 6-7 and 275, ended up starting every game at defensive end.

He finished the season with eight tackles for loss, including four sacks, and broke up three passes. Look for more production from Conrath going forward.

"He's got a good aptitude for the game," Groh said. "He's got an excellent work ethic. You can tell he clearly wants to be good, and he's got a good set of tools. He's got that height, he's got long arms, and he can sort things out pretty clearly."

Rave reviews
Don't expect to see Rodney McLeod back at cornerback anytime soon. McLeod, who moved to safety before the start of spring practice, has sparkled at his new spot.

"I'm trying to low-key that and not create an instant hero, but [McLeod is coming along] very nicely," Groh said.

As a true freshman last season, McLeod played in Virginia's final nine games. He received the Bill Dudley Award as the team's top first-year player.

Man of many talents
Starting left offensive tackle Landon Bradley is mechanically inclined, and he would major in computer science if the lab requirements didn't conflict with his football obligations.

Still, Bradley said, he probably will minor in computer science, and when his football career ends, he plans to work with computers.

"I spend a lot of time on them, and I fix them," he said. "Teammates come up to me and are like, 'Hey, this is going on with my computer. What can you do for me?' And I do the research. One of the guys took his computer to a place and they told him it would cost $200. I fixed it for $25."

Another opportunity for basketball recruit
The Charm City Challenge slam-dunk contest went better for Tristan Spurlock than the game itself.

Spurlock, who signed in November with U.Va., was deemed the best dunker among the all-stars in Baltimore last week. He later played 19 minutes for the U.S. All-Stars in their 112-86 victory over the Baltimore All-Stars. The 6-8 forward scored five points, on 2-for-11 shooting, and grabbed four rebounds.

A senior at Word of Life Christian Academy in Springfield, Spurlock will play tomorrow night in the 36th annual Capital Classic at American University. The 8 p.m. game will match Spurlock and the other Capital All-Stars against the U.S. All-Stars, who include Petersburg High's Cadarian Raines (Virginia Tech).

Comcast SportsNet will show the game on tape delay Saturday at 4 p.m.

The Capital Classic's slam-dunk contest is today at Gonzaga High in D.C.

Back on big stage
In its most recent appearance on ESPN2, the men's lacrosse team beat Maryland in seven overtimes March 28, the longest Division I game in the sport's history.

The top-ranked Cavaliers return to that network Saturday. Virginia (2-0 ACC, 12-0 overall) meets No.8 Duke (1-1, 8-3) at 4 p.m. in Durham, N.C.

U.Va. has lost five consecutive to the Blue Devils since beating them April 17, 2004. - Jeff White

 

Cavaliers brave cold for midweek win
By Jay Jenkins
Published: April 8, 2009

Midway through Tuesday’s game against Stony Brook, the linescore was not visible on the scoreboard at Virginia’s Davenport.
The second snafu at the venue in five days likely did not bother Stony Brook’s pitching staff.
Virginia jumped out early to a six-run lead after the fourth inning and remained perfect in midweek competition as it cruised to an 8-0 victory over the Seawolves in frigid conditions.
Fifth-year starter Robert Poutier took full control of the run support, scattering five hits and two walks during five scoreless innings. The right-hander also fanned eight batters.
“Pout has pitched good baseball all year. We continue to be happy that he came back for his fifth year in this program,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “He has been very, very consistent and he has given us good quality starts every time that we have given him the ball.”
After scoring a lone run in the first on an RBI double from second baseman Phil Gosselin, the Cavaliers added a pair in the second frame with a two-run double by Jarrett Parker.
Virginia added three more in the fourth and another pair in the eighth on a monstrous blast by Parker that hit the corner of the scoreboard in right-centerfield.
It was Parker’s ninth homer of the season.
“Wow, that was one of the longer home runs that you will see,” O’Connor said. “He hit that pretty good, but it was a great collective effort tonight.”
Virginia and Stony Brook (12-12) close out the two-game series tonight at 6 p.m.

 

No. 11 Baseball Blanks Stony Brook, 8-0
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 04/07/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Behind shutout pitching and 15 strikeouts from Robert Poutier (Sr., Yorktown, Va.) and Robert Morey (So., Virginia Beach, Va.), the No. 11 Virginia baseball team blanked Stony Brook, 8-0, Tuesday evening at Davenport Field. The shutout was Virginia’s third of the year and the first since Feb. 21 vs. Bucknell.

The pitching staff was supported by 11 hits from the UVa offense. Four Cavaliers picked up two hits each, highlighted by Jarrett Parker (So., Stafford, Va.), who had a double and two-run home run while scoring twice and driving in four. Phil Gosselin (So., West Chester, Pa.) added a pair of doubles, while Tyler Biddix (So., Richmond, Va.) had two hits and scored three times and John Barr (So., Ivyland, Pa.) singled twice.

Poutier (3-0) went 5.0 innings and allowed just five hits and two walks while striking out eight as he won his third straight Tuesday start. Morey then dominated in going a career-best four innings while striking out a career-high seven. He surrendered just two hits and did not walk a batter in earning his second save this season.

Jonathan Kalkau (2-3) took the loss for Stony Brook after allowing three earned runs, four hits and five walks in three innings. Michael Stephan had a pair of hits for the Seawolves (12-12).

After a 17-run outburst Sunday, Virginia (27-5) quickly picked the offense right back up and posted its first run in the opening inning. Parker led off with a walk, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a Gosselin double.

In the second, UVa tacked on two runs. With one out, Scott Silverstein (Fr., Olney, Md.) doubled and Biddix walked. Parker then lined a double off the wall in right-center field to score both runners and give UVa a 3-0 lead.

The Cavaliers added three runs in the fourth against reliever Joe Goglia. Biddix led off with a single and stole second. One out later, he scored on a single by Barr. Gosselin drove Barr in with a double to left field and then scored with two out on a single by Steven Proscia (Fr., Suffern, N.Y.).

UVa put up its final two runs in big fashion in the eighth inning when Parker launched a towering two-run home run which bounced off the top of the scoreboard in right-center field. The blast was Parker’s ninth of the season.

UVa concludes its midweek series with Stony Brook with a 6 p.m. Wednesday game at Davenport Field.

 

Unlike other native sons, playoffs not in Zimmerman's future
Tom Robinson
Virginian-Pilot columnist
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 7, 2009

Five of the Big Six can look at this new Major League Baseball season with real expectations. Good things could await them. They have genuine optimism, too, not the "if-we-just-execute" stuff ballplayers on no-hope clubs offer up every April.

If they and their teams play to their predicted levels, local big-leaguers Mike Cuddyer (Minnesota), David Wright (Mets), Mark Reynolds (Arizona) and the Upton brothers, B.J. (Tampa Bay) and Justin (Arizona), all could contend for their division titles.

That is, injury bugs willing, they stand at least a decent chance, today, of playing into October. They've been there before, in fact, all within the last three seasons. B.J. Upton even reached the World Series with the Rays last year.

Um, Ryan Zimmerman plays in the big leagues, too.

Through no fault of his own, Kellam High's Zimmerman is like the tambourine player right now in that Big Six band. But he's a former first-round draft pick, remember. A guy who deservedly is in every conversation anybody has about the best young third basemen in the business.

For sure, he doesn't need our pity.

And yet...

It's sad that Zimmerman, 24, is stuck on one of baseball's most egregious no-hopers, the Washington Nationals, and can't have October fantasies like his buddies. This year? Not going to happen, either. Still, Zimmerman naturally was all about "if we just execute" last Friday when the Nats were at Harbor Park.

"We aspire to win 90 games; every team should do that," Zimmerman said. "I'm not going to sit here and guarantee 90 wins. But I think if we do the little things... and play our kind of game, we can win some games."

Actually, D.C.'s Disasters have never won 90, and only took 59 last season; Zimmerman missed about a third of it with a shoulder injury. They've never exactly been on an up-tick with Zimmerman, though.

Fact is, since Zimmerman debuted in September of '05, a few months out of the University of Virginia, the Nats are 215-299.

They've won as many as seven straight games once, late last season. Zimmerman's played on a "first-place" team all of 11 days early last season. Washington promptly lost 13 of 15 and disappeared in the ultra-competitive National League East.

As for playoffs... you kidding me?

"I think we learned a lot from (last season)," Zimmerman said. "We're not just gonna forget it. We're gonna be a lot better because of it this year."

The Nationals need to get better pretty much everywhere. They've been a mess from the front office to the field to the PR front. They failed to sign their

No. 1 draft pick last year. And presumably they'll soon be back playing that pricey game of chicken with 100-mph wonder Stephen Strasburg of San Diego State, who's expected to be the No. 1 pick.

Washington's in no position to let this one go, even though Strasburg's "advisor," Scott Boras, is already chattering about a crazy-money contract because... why? Because he and everybody else knows the Nats are desperate for buzz, let alone competitiveness, in their 2-year-old stadium.

A pressing issue for Zimmerman is how long he'll want to age in that stadium. He isn't eligible for free agency for a couple of years, but discussions of a deal that would lock him up early just ended fruitlessly. For now, anyway.

"Obviously, both sides have a feeling that we want to do something," Zimmerman said.

For Zimmerman, the feeling of plausible hope would probably do in the interim.

 

Parker adds some major pop
By DAVID DRIVER
For the Stafford County Sun
Published: April 7, 2009

As his teammates scattered across the country, Jarrett Parker stayed in Charlottesville last summer. While many of the top returning University of Virginia baseball players suited up for amateur summer league teams, Parker stayed back to work on something just as important as hitting or throwing: his strength.

Parker has put on 20 pounds of muscle since his freshman season at Virginia, and the hard work last summer has showed immediate and amazing dividends. The sophomore center fielder and Colonial Forge High School graduate hit .419 in his first 108 at bats this season for the Cavaliers, who were ranked No. 10 in the country as of April 4.

He led Virginia in nearly every major offensive category through April 2, including doubles (13), triples (four), homers (seven), RBIs (35), runs (42), on-base percentage (.519) and slugging (.819). Parker said he now weighs about 205 pounds.

“I feel I am much better. I stayed in Charlottesville and I gained a lot of weight. I am feeling really good,” said Parker, who hit just .264 with no homers in 148 at bats in 2008 as a freshman.

Parker, who hits leadoff for Virginia, said he and head coach Brian O’Connor “were somewhat at odds” over how the Stafford resident should spend the summer of 2008. While the Cavs send players to the Valley Baseball League and other college summer circuits, Parker convinced O’Connor that he needed to work on his strength. Parker admitted it was tough to watch some of his teammates head off to summer leagues, but the payoff was worth it as he plans to play in June for Brewster in the Cape Cod League in Massachusetts, considered the best summer college league in the country.

“It has made a difference on how he carries himself,” O’Connor said in a phone interview from Charlottesville. “He walks around a more confident and self-assured young man. That translates to the baseball field. The ball really jumps off his bat. He has been a real shot in the arm for our team.”

Virginia won its first 19 games this season to set a school record for consecutive wins to start the year and most wins in a row overall. The Cavs were 24-4 overall and 6-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference as of April 2. Virginia opens up a series April 10 at Georgia Tech.

One of the top players for Virginia last year, shortstop Greg Miclat, was drafted in the fifth round last June by the Baltimore Orioles. Jacob Thompson, a pitcher, was taken in the same round by the Atlanta Braves.

“We are a young team. It is our goal every year to make it to Omaha,” Parker said of the site of the annual College World Series. The only school from Virginia to ever make the College World Series was James Madison, which advanced to Omaha in 1983.