For the Virginia men’s lacrosse team, the road back to the Final Four
has been a long one.
It started 364 days ago with a heartbreaking 12-11 loss in double overtime to
Syracuse in the national semifinals at Rutgers Stadium. From that moment, the
Cavaliers say, they have dedicated themselves more fully to the goal of
winning the national championship.
They have partied less, revising the team’s alcohol policy to make it more
strict. They have worked out more, with many players returning early from
summer and Christmas breaks to run and lift on their own. And they have
maintained a level of intensity over the past three months, in every game and
every practice, that has left their coach shaking his head in admiration.
“This group has put in the effort, there’s no doubt about that,” said Dom
Starsia, whose team last won the national title in 1999. “No matter the
results, these guys have done things the right way and they should be proud of
that. You hope they get rewarded for their hard work. It doesn’t always work
that way, but if this team wins the championship, it will have deserved it.”
Today, at last, the Cavaliers (13-2) are back in the Final Four, this time at
M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. They will face Maryland (12-3) in today’s
second semifinal at approximately 2:15 p.m., following the first game between
Johns Hopkins (13-1) and Syracuse (10-5), which begins at 11:30 a.m.
The winners meet in the championship game Monday at 11 a.m.
To many of Virginia’s players, only a national title will validate their sweat
and sacrifice.
“I know we’ve worked for everything we’ve gotten this year,” said senior
midfielder Chris Rotelli. “One of our team mottos has been: One Goal.
Literally, that can mean the one goal that decides a game. It also means
focusing on doing the one thing that puts you over the top, which really means
doing all the little things the right way. Obviously, it also means winning
the national championship, the one goal all of us have had all season.”
“One Goal” also might be the motto for this Final Four weekend.
After all, the semifinalists played each other eight times during the regular
season. Remarkably, every game was decided by a single goal. Johns Hopkins
went 2-1 in those meetings, Virginia went 1-2 and Syracuse and Maryland were
1-1. (The Orangemen and Terrapins did not play in the regular season but did
meet in a scrimmage. Syracuse won by, of course, one goal.)
The Cavaliers beat Syracuse 16-15 on March 1 but dropped consecutive games to
Johns Hopkins and Maryland by identical 8-7 scores later in the month.
Against the Terrapins, who boast a pair of All-American defensemen in Michael
Howley and Chris Passavia, Virginia registered just two goals in the first
half and failed to score for more than 30 minutes spanning the first through
third quarters.
“Certainly Maryland is the most outstanding defensive team out there,” Starsia
said. “I think we really got slapped around by Maryland the first time. It was
an education for us, and I think we got better the moment that game ended.”
Since then, the Cavaliers have been more crisp on offense, scoring at least 10
goals in eight straight victories.
“We’ve been moving the ball around more and getting better shots,” said
sophomore attackman John Christmas, who leads the team with 34 goals. “That’s
going to be imperative against Maryland. They slide quickly and come hard at
you on defense. That can create opportunities for us if we pass the ball like
we should.”
The Cavaliers, along with the other teams, also must keep their poise in front
of a crowd expected to be in excess of 30,000. This is the first Final Four
held in the lacrosse mecca of Baltimore.
“It’s going to be amazing,” said sophomore attackman Joe Yevoli. “Last year
was my first Final Four and it was a little overwhelming, a little
nerve-wracking. I think we’re all going to be ready for it this time. It’s
what we’ve been striving for all year.”
Hokies' best option is to be gracious
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES
If the money is so important, have a playoff.
Oh, that would never happen, I've been told. If they held a Division I-A football playoff, they'd have to share the money with the NCAA.
So, that's what this is all about: greed.
Didn't we know that already?
Whatever happened to doing the right thing? A program like Virginia Tech can build itself into a national football power, fill stadiums at home and on the road, play by the rules, and what do the Hokies have to show for it? Their home was ravaged by a hurricane.
It's understandable that Tech fans would be ticked off at the ACC, the University of Miami and even Virginia president John Casteen, although Casteen's public comments in support of the Hokies went beyond what he was obliged to say in the eyes of UVa fans.
Taking the emotion out of it, Tech's biggest beef is with the system. Analysts have called for the NCAA to get involved, but isn't the NCAA at least partly responsible for this mess?
It was the NCAA that gave its permission to leagues like the Southeastern Conference and the Big12 to hold lucrative football championship games, provided those leagues had at least 12 teams.
For the sake of argument, let's say the NCAA had told the SEC or the old Big Eight, "No championship games." Or what if the NCAA had told those leagues they could hold championships with as few as 10 teams?
If the ACC could have had a championship football game with 10 teams, would it have been so set on adding Syracuse and Boston College? There's more to this issue than a conference football championship, but wouldn't Miami by itself have given the ACC the leverage it needed for TV negotiations?
As a sports fan, I think there is merit to the two Division I-A programs in Virginia being in separate conferences, both with Bowl Championship Series tie-ins. It was a nice touch that ACC and Big East teams frequently met in bowl games, and I doubt there were many Tech fans dying to be in the ACC.
That was before the ACC became the evil empire.
I can't get out of my mind a radio interview ex-Pittsburgh men's basketball coach Ben Howland did last month with ESPN Radio. After discussing Howland's new position at UCLA, talk turned to what were only rumors of ACC expansion.
"In many ways, the ACC is the perfect conference," Howland said.
Howland was referring to the nine-team configuration that enabled all the schools to meet once in football and play a double round-robin in basketball. Each time that the ACC has resisted expansion in the past, it has spoken proudly of that distinction.
They say there's no honor among thieves, and thievery has been a constant theme over the past month. Nothing the media is saying is any worse than what Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has called the ACC: "hypocrites."
So, what do you do if you're Virginia Tech? Since 1953, when the ACC awarded its eighth - and, for 20 years, final - berth to Virginia, Tech has been rejected by the ACC at every turn. Here's what you do: You take the high road.
It's hard to put much stock in talk that the ACC will romance Notre Dame and become a 14-team league ("We don't have 12 yet," one official said), but Tech is going to have to deal with these schools, whether it's the improbable chance of Syracuse getting cold feet or something as mundane as future scheduling.
Tech fans cherish the day that football coach Frank Beamer rejected North Carolina, but that hasn't left the Tar Heels receptive to the Hokies' cause. In this age of every school or conference for itself, now is not the time to be making enemies.
Peerman's mind set on Virginia
Running back Cedric Peerman says academics and the Cavaliers' move into national
contention play a big role in his choice.
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES
William Campbell High School football coach Brad Bradley said Cedric Peerman's
college choice wouldn't be a surprise, and it wasn't.
Peerman, rated the No.5 junior in the state by The Roanoke Times, announced
Thursday that he will sign with Virginia.
The Cavaliers were the first program to offer Peerman a scholarship, "but
anybody in the country could have come in here and I still think he would have
gone to Virginia," Bradley said. "When other coaches were in here earlier this
month, he basically said that's [UVa] where he was going."
Peerman, a 5-foot-10 1/2 , 195-pound running back, was named first-team
All-Group A in 2002 after rushing for 2,028 yards and scoring 45 touchdowns, 38
on the ground.
Peerman carried for 317 yards and scored seven touchdowns in the Division I
state championship game, in which William Campbell defeated Appalachia 70-0.
Peerman, a 3.8 student, said academics were a major factor in his decision.
"Also, in the past few years, they've made a move toward being a national
contender and I want to help them achieve that goal," Peerman said.
Peerman will be a four-year starter on defense and he had more than 600 yards in
receptions before moving from wide receiver to running back in the second half
of his sophomore year.
Peerman is the second top-five junior to commit to the Cavaliers, joining
defensive lineman Chris Long from St. Anne's-Belfield in Charlottesville.
Cavs not complacent with trip to final four
Virginia targets championship
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER May 24, 2003
LACROSSE
NCAA TOURNEY
WHERE:
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore TODAY:
Semifinals - Johns Hopkins vs. Syracuse, 11:30 a.m.; Virginia vs. Maryland,
approximately 2:15 p.m. TV - ESPN2. MONDAY:
Final - semifinal winners, 11 a.m.. TV - ESPN.
On the eve of its March 22 game at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, the University of
Virginia men's lacrosse team got a tour of what was then called Ravens Stadium.
"They brought us onto the field and showed us around the stadium and did a
little highlight show for us on the Jumbotron," senior Chris Rotelli recalled
this week.
"I think we all saw and imagined just how unbelievable this weekend could be and
realized that we had to be there to be a part of it."
The Cavaliers made it, and today they'll play in the venue - now called M&T Bank
Stadium - they toured in March. A crowd of at least 30,000 is expected for the
NCAA semifinals, which match top-seeded Johns Hopkins (13-1) and defending
national champion Syracuse (10-5) at 11:30 a.m., followed by second-seeded
Virginia (13-2) and No. 3 seed Maryland (12-3) around 2:15 p.m. ESPN2 will carry
both games.
A year ago, at Rutgers, U.Va. fell in the NCAA semifinals to Syracuse, which
prevailed 12-11 in double overtime.
"I think last year we were maybe complacent to just be at the final four," said
Rotelli, an All-America midfielder. "We played extremely hard against Syracuse,
and I felt we had a very good chance to win it, but I think this year there's
more of a sense that we're not really satisfied yet.
"We're glad to be in the final four, and it's been a great year so far, but
we're going there this weekend to win the national championship. And I don't
think many people on the team will be satisfied with anything else."
This is Dom Starsia's seventh trip to the final four in his 11 seasons as
Virginia's coach. He believes the Wahoos' experience last year, however
disappointing, should help them this weekend. Many standouts from that team,
including Rotelli, goalie Tillman Johnson, defenseman Brett Hughes and attackmen
John Christmas and Joe Yevoli, returned this season.
"I think for some teams and for some players, you can't help but feel like
that's sort of the end of it: 'We got to the final four,'" Starsia said. "We
state that as one of our goals in the program. But I think for Chris Rotelli and
Tillman and even now for John Christmas, that's not the end of it right now.
They're not going to quite be satisfied if the season ends [today]."
Virginia's first loss came at Hopkins. The Blue Jays outscored U.Va. 5-0 in the
first quarter and held on to win 8-7. A week later, at Klockner Stadium,
Virginia stumbled again. Maryland outscored the Cavs 5-0 in the second quarter
and held on to win 8-7.
"I thought we got smacked around a little bit by Hopkins and Maryland, but we
climbed out of it," said Starsia, whose club has won eight straight.
Rotelli and his classmates entered U.Va. in 1999, about three months after
Starsia's team won the national championship in College Park, Md. They fully
expected more titles to follow.
"The older you get, you realize how hard it really is to do it," Rotelli said.
"It takes something a little special and a little different to separate you from
the other top teams, and this year we've just been focusing on trying to be that
team that finds that little edge and gets that separation from the other teams."
|
Turmoil not new to Big East
AD says football issues nearly led to breakup of league in early '90s Raleigh Bureau Three days after Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese compared the ACC to a corporate raider out to destroy his league, Syracuse athletics director Jake Crouthamel painted a more fragile picture of the Big East. Thursday, Crouthamel said football issues nearly splintered the Big East in the early 1990s, led to discussions in 1998 with the ACC about a merger, and could break apart the Big East in the next few weeks -- whether Miami goes to the ACC or not. That description of the Big East differs from the one offered Monday by Tranghese, who in a passionate oratory said the ACC's pursuit of Miami, Syracuse and Boston College would ruin his otherwise sturdy league. "In order to get Miami they have to destroy people," Tranghese told reporters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. "I'd understand if I were IBM, but I'm not. I represent 14 educational institutions." Fourteen educational institutions that have co-existed somewhat unsteadily. A decade ago, Crouthamel said, the proposed additions of Rutgers and West Virginia drove a wedge between the Big East schools with and without Division I-A football. "There was a lot of resistance," Crouthamel said, "to the point that we had to consider the what-ifs -- the football schools moving off on their own." The league came to terms with that expansion, but in 1998 Tranghese called a meeting with ACC Commissioner John Swofford about Miami, Syracuse and Boston College leaving for the ACC, allowing the Big East to reinvent itself as a basketball conference. Crouthamel said the Big East is weighing the possibility of Big East contraction, even if there is no ACC expansion. Presidents of the Big East's eight Division I-A football schools asked their athletics directors last month to gauge the necessity of leaving the rest of the league. "We're looking at an all-sports conference composed of football-playing schools only," Crouthamel said. Until that process is over, he said, Syracuse won't decide whether to leave. He said it could take weeks, but suggested Miami's decision would make the decision for Syracuse. "I know if this thing happens," Crouthamel said, "Boston College and Miami will not be very pleased to look some of their peers in the eye and say, `I'm sorry it had to happen.' If I have to do that, it's going to be doubly difficult." |
Other Big East schools hope to be convincing
By Mark Blaudschun, Globe Staff, 5/23/2003
''In my mind, yes,'' said Austin. ''In talking to [Syracuse president] Buzz Shaw I got the feeling he wanted to keep the status quo, but he also said he had to do what was best for his university. Which is what any president would do. But he also said that he was still gathering information.''
Austin said he had not talked with University of Miami president Donna Shalala since last week but that the presidents from the other Big East schools have been talking with Shalala, Shaw, and BC president Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., for the past several days in a series of what could best be described as low-key discussions, with cases being presented as to why the schools should remain in the Big East.
Last week, the ACC said it would offer invitations to the three schools to join the conference and thus form a 12-team league.
One of the chief reasons BC and Syracuse have used for perhaps leaving was a feeling that if they turned down an invitation, another Big East school would quickly step in. Not so, said Austin, who said the five other Big East football schools - Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, UConn, and Rutgers - had agreed to remain in the conference.
''We haven't signed anything yet,'' said Austin. ''But that's the sentiment. We want to do what we can to preserve the league. And we're doing everything we can to make that happen. We are committed to staying together.''
Meanwhile, Syracuse athletic director Jake Crouthamel and BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo spoke yesterday to say the schools were still considering their options.
The ACC is setting up visits to the three schools before extending official invitations, which could come early next month.
Also, Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese responded to a report in yesterday's USA Today that he had participated in secret meetings with ACC officials in 1998 in which he reportedly shopped BC, Syracuse, and Miami to the ACC in an expansion plan. The primary source of the report was former North Carolina State athletic director Les Robinson.
''Les is a friend of mine, but in this case, he is totally incorrect,'' said Tranghese. ''Why would I do that? It's totally illogical and it makes no sense.''
Tranghese said the meetings were part of a series of talks with the ACC about forming a Federated Football Conference, combining the Big East and ACC for football only.
''[Former ACC commissioner] Gene Corrigan had been talking about that for years,'' said Tranghese, ''as a way we could help both of our leagues in football with bowl matchups and a better television package. The idea was to have the schools from the Big East and the ACC in a super football league, which would have been run by the ACC, and have the two conferences go on their own in basketball and all other sports. In retrospect, if we could have worked it out, we wouldn't be having the problems we are having now. But to say that I was trying to auction three of my schools is totally untrue. If anyone doesn't believe me, just ask Jake [Crouthamel] and [Miami AD] Paul Dee, who were there.''
Neither Crouthamel nor Dee could be reached yesterday for comment.
Miami not afraid of Big East commish
Tony Barnhardt Atlanta Constitution-Journal
As best we can tell, it will be about two weeks before there is definitive word on ACC expansion, and we expect that word to be full speed ahead. But in the meantime, the whispers surrounding the process are proving to be deliciously entertaining. For example:
Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese said
Tuesday that if Miami, Boston College, and Syracuse jump to the ACC, it would be
"the biggest blow to intercollegiate athletics in my lifetime." Some voices
around the ACC said afterward that Tranghese was being a bit hypocritical with
his outrage. He had obviously forgotten about a secret 1998 meeting he and other
Big East officials had with ACC officials at the airport in Atlanta.
Former N.C. State athletics director Les Robinson, who was there, said Thursday Tranghese initiated the meeting because he was concerned that the Big Ten might pick off some of his schools. ACC commissioner John Swofford attended as did Florida State athletics director Dave Hart. Robinson said Tranghese proposed that some of his top football schools -- Miami, Syracuse, and Boston College -- join the ACC.
"Tranghese initiated that meeting. He was willing to talk about it [expansion] then so I don't know why he's so upset now," said Robinson, now the athletics director at The Citadel.
Tranghese said Robinson is flat wrong.
"Les is a friend of mine, but in this case he is totally incorrect," Tranghese told the Boston Globe. "Why would I do that? It's totally illogical and it makes no sense."
Tranghese said the purpose of the 1998 meeting was to discuss a cooperative alliance between the ACC and the Big East for football only. The thinking was that collectively the two leagues would be more powerful than individually. Tranghese said it was an idea that former ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan had discussed in the past.
Stay tuned. Before this is over there will be more sniping back and forth between the two leagues.
Word out of Miami is that UM president Donna
Shalala was less than thrilled with Tranghese's impassioned speech last
Tuesday. He made it clear that Shalala held the fate of his conference in her
hands. But instead of shaming her into staying, it may have strengthened her
resolve to leave. Folks in South Florida say Shalala is a tough administrator
and has no problem taking heat from Tranghese. After all, she used to work for
Bill Clinton.
While both the ACC and the Big East are in a state
of flux, Notre Dame continues to fly under the radar, waiting to see how it all
shakes out. The Big East has been Notre Dame's home for all sports other than
football. What happens if the basketball-only schools go off on their own? When
the ACC presidents were having their conference call on expansion on May 13,
Notre Dame did inquire about the results. If Miami, BC, and Syracuse jump to the
ACC, turn your eyes to South Bend. This won't be over until the little
Leprechaun sings.
The biggest disagreement in this entire process is
over the value of the ACC's next television contract should the league expand.
The ACC believes it can increase its current deal, worth about $24 million, by
about $13 million to 15 million. That is based on extensive research by several
outside marketing firms. Some TV sources are telling the Big East, however, that
the ACC will not even get an increase in its next deal. They say the new
contract might be worth only $15 million given the lack of competition in the
marketplace. There is one possible explanation: The ACC has been told there will
be another player in the marketplace to compete against ABC/ESPN, which holds
most of the college football inventory. NBC has Notre Dame. CBS has the SEC. Fox
is a limited player.
Worth noting
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville won't be
participating in this week's golf outing at the SEC meetings in Destin.
Tuberville had disk surgery in his back last week and will be off the links for
a while. Tuberville said he will still attend the SEC meetings and hold his
summer camp schedule.
Clemson is getting dangerously thin at linebacker.
Kelvin Morris and Brandon Jamison will be academically ineligible
to play this fall. Another linebacker, Eric Sampson, was suspended last
year before the Tangerine Bowl. Sampson still has a chance to return to the team
if he improves his academic work. If not, the Tigers could be hurting.
We now have proof positive that Miami is in dire
financial straits, and it has nothing to do with the ACC. Our friend Mike
Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Miami recently wrote a "cease
and desist" letter to tiny Umatilla High School. Miami feels the "U" on the side
of the Umatilla football helmet is just too much like the design that has been
trademarked by the Hurricanes. A university official told Umatilla that it could
continue using the logo if it paid Miami a rights fee of $2,000 per year.
Umatilla, a Class 2A school with an enrollment of 798, will change its logo. "We
have better things to spend our money on," said principal June Dalton.
UM jump? Go figure
By Ed Huguenin | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted May 24, 2003
The clock is ticking on Miami's decision to join the Atlantic Coast Conference
-- and on the existence of the Big East Conference.
If Miami leaves and takes Syracuse and Boston College with it to the ACC, the
Big East ceases to become a major player in college football unless it can
convince Penn State or Notre Dame to come aboard.
On Thursday, Connecticut Athletic Director Lew Perkins put up a brave front,
saying the five Big East football-playing schools that would be left behind (UConn,
Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and West Virginia) are committed to keeping
UM, Syracuse and Boston College from leaving. "We're willing to do whatever we
can do to convince them," he said.
Let's get serious, though: There's no way the Big East can match the financial
figures being thrown around by ACC Commissioner John Swofford. He reportedly has
told ACC members -- and presumably UM -- that a reconfigured ACC can get a
football TV contract worth $50 million annually. That's double the ACC's current
deal and worth $10 million more than the Southeastern Conference's deal with
CBS.
Given that the Big East's last deal actually declined in value despite the
presence of Miami, Swofford's figures really are something. Basically, that
means the addition of Miami to a league with only one true national power
(Florida State) will be worth $25 million.
Interesting, huh?
One other thing: If UM decides to leave for the ACC, it'll be noteworthy to see
the reaction from Virginia Tech fans when the Hurricanes visit Blacksburg on
Nov. 1.
The 'Canes visit Pittsburgh on Nov. 29, but Panthers fans don't come close to
matching the, um, ferociousness of the Hokies' followers.
Sports Commentary
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Bianchi
Yo, 'Canes -- 'U' should be very ashamed
Published May 22, 2003
The Miami Hurricanes obviously need the money; why else would they be making
this unfathomable power play? Why would they risk the wrath of their one-time
friends? Why would they put years of tradition up for sale just for the sake of
protecting their bottom line?
No, we're not referring to UM's impending decision to wreck the Big East. We're
talking about the Hurricanes trying to crush little Umatilla High.
"I guess we got Miami worried when we won the district championship last year,"
cracked Kent Merrill, president of the Umatilla High School booster club. "I
thought Miami was trying to join the ACC, not the FHSAA [Florida High School
Activities Association]."
If you think the other Big East schools were shocked when they learned about
Miami's ACC money grab, think of how Umatilla felt when they received a "cease
and desist" letter from UM lawyers recently. The letter informed Umatilla that
the "U" in its logo was too similar -- criminally similar -- to Miami's. It
seems the Hurricanes have a trademark, giving them exclusive rights to the
unique "Split U" design.
We're talking Umatilla here, folks. This place is so small that the local
library closes whenever somebody borrows the book. Umatilla is a suburb of
Eustis, for crying out loud.
"I guess we should be flattered that the University of Miami even notices little
Umatilla," school principal June Dalton said.
To her credit, Dalton is taking the high road on this one. She said Umatilla
will change its logo because it doesn't have the financial wherewithal to fight
Miami. "Public schools have better things to spend their money on," she said.
You would think Miami would have better things to spend its time on. A UM
spokeswoman said the school only is following NCAA guidelines, which say a high
school cannot use the registered trademark of a university unless the university
demands fair market value as compensation.
Translation: Miami has told Umatilla it can keep using the logo -- as long as it
pays UM $2,000 a month.
"Again," Dalton said, "we have better things to spend our money on."
Cynthia Beamish, the UM attorney who sent the letter, would not comment when
contacted Wednesday. To which I say: U gotta be kidding me.
In my expert legal opinion, Umatilla has more of a right to the letter "U" than
Miami does. Why does Miami even have a "U" on its helmet, anyway? Shouldn't it
have an "M"? And, besides, who died and made Miami the lord and overseer of the
letter "U"?
"The letter 'U' is more important to our name than it is theirs," Merrill said.
He's right. Without the "U", Miami is still Miami, but Umatilla is just plain
old Matilla.
This is just another example of the corporate greed that pervades our
institutions of higher earning.
Remember when colleges used to be worried about how many students they
graduated? Now they worry about how many T-shirts they can sell. These days,
schools such as Miami make nearly as much money from merchandising as they do
from their games.
Meanwhile, Umatilla goes about the business of changing its logo. The granite
marker in front of the school will have to be sandblasted. New T-shirts and hats
will have to be ordered. And when the Umatilla Bulldogs take the field next
season, they will have a strange new design on their helmets.
But will this be the end of it?
Don't count on it.
"Don't forget, we are the Bulldogs," Merrill said. "I'm expecting a letter from
the University of Georgia any day now."