BALTIMORE — Midway through the second quarter Saturday, Maryland
attackman Brian Hunt wound up with the ball in his stick directly in front of
the Virginia goal. He faked low, faked high, faked low again, then shot high.
It was the kind of sequence that results in a goal 99 percent of the time in
college lacrosse, but not on this occasion. Not with Tillman Johnson standing
in the way.
UVa’s junior goalie reacted to each move, dropping to his knees on the third
fake. Finally, he thrust his stick into the air and deflected Hunt’s shot over
the cage.
It was the most spectacular save of a sensational day for Johnson, who made 18
stops and yielded just three goals in one of the finest performances in NCAA
tournament history. He played the starring role in No. 2 Virginia’s 14-4
semifinal victory at M&T Bank Stadium and lifted the Cavaliers into Monday’s
championship game against No. 1 Johns Hopkins.
“I felt good all day. I just wanted to stay relaxed and composed and play my
game,” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to let the crowd and the whole tournament
overwhelm me. I just try to stay focused on the job at hand and that was my
objective for this game.”
Mission accomplished. Johnson dazzled the record crowd of 37,823, frustrated
the Terrapins and inspired his teammates, who shook off a sloppy start to give
the goalie more than enough offensive support.
“Saves like that lift the whole group,” said UVa coach Dom Starsia. “There’s
nothing that does more for you than playing in front of somebody who’s
stopping the ball and making that kind of effort.”
“Tillman definitely motivated and inspired us,” said attackman Joe Yevoli, who
contributed three goals and two assists to share scoring honors with Matt Ward
(four goals, one assist). “When we’re struggling like that on offense early in
the game, it’s good to know we’re going to get the ball right back and get
another chance. He kept getting the ball back to us all game.”
By most measures, Maryland controlled play in the first half. The Terrapins
held advantages in shots (21-17), ground balls (30-21) and faceoffs (5-4), but
the scoreboard read: Virginia 5, Maryland 2.
The difference was Johnson, who made 11 of his saves in the first half and
continually thwarted prime scoring chances produced by his teammates’
mistakes. The Cavaliers committed 10 turnovers in the first half, including
several on botched clears near their own goal.
“To be honest, I was surprised we were ahead by three goals at halftime,”
Starsia said. “We didn’t really deserve to be. We gave them the ball 10 to 12
times but they weren’t cashing in.”
That was thanks, of course, to Johnson, who got into an early groove with
consecutive saves on shots by Maryland’s leading scorer, Joe Walters, in the
opening minutes. The Terrapins never solved him, finishing with the lowest
offensive output in the Final Four’s 32-year history.
Johnson also made 18 saves in the semifinals last year against Syracuse,
though Virginia lost 12-11 in overtime. He said that performance helped give
him confidence for his second turn in the national spotlight, and he appeared
unflappable — and darn near unbeatable — throughout the afternoon.
Can Johnson do it again Monday? Starsia, for one, would not be surprised.
“I would tell you that the most amazing thing about Tillman is that he’s been
doing this since the first day of practice,” Starsia said. “His greatest
characteristic is his consistency.”
Virginia Dominates Maryland 14-4 to Advance to Finals
Cavaliers face Johns Hopkins for title on Monday.
May 24, 2003
Baltimore, Md. - by CHRIS McMANES
The Virginia Cavaliers' Tillman Johnson will likely be named first- or
second-team All-American on Monday. The Virginia goalie turned in an
All-American performance Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium.
Johnson tied his career high in saves and Joe Yevoli scored three unassisted
goals in the midst of a 9-1 run to lead Virginia in a 14-4 victory over the
Maryland Terrapins in the 2003 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships.
The Cavaliers (14-2) will meet top-ranked and top-seeded Johns Hopkins for the
national championship Monday at 11 a.m. ESPN will televise the game live. The
Blue Jays advanced with a 19-8 win over Syracuse. An NCAA-record crowd of 37,823
saw both games.
Hopkins defeated No. 2 and second-seeded Virginia 8-7 on March 22.
The Cavs held the No. 3 and third-seeded Terps to their lowest point total of
the year and the fewest goals in national semifinals history. Maryland (12-4),
trying to advance to the national title game for the first time in five years,
scored twice in each half and went 23 minutes and 34 seconds between second-half
goals.
Johnson's career-high-tying 18 saves keyed Virginia's victory over its Atlantic
Coast Conference rival and helped the team set the school record for wins.
"I felt good all day," said Johnson, a junior from nearby Annapolis, Md. "I just
wanted to stay relaxed and composed and just play my game. I didn't want to let
the crowd or the whole tournament overwhelm me.
"I just wanted to stay focused on the job at hand. That was my main objective
going into this game."
Terrapin Coach Dave Cottle sang Johnson's praises.
"I thought Tillman Johnson was the difference in the first half," Cottle said.
"I think he had 11 saves and we (didn't) shoot from real far outside. He made
some great saves. When we were down 5-2 at the half, we were 11-for-11 clearing
and we out-groundballed them (30-21), we outshot them (21-17), and we're losing
by three.
"Then the game got a little bit away from us in the third quarter."
Matt Ward's five points (four goals on four shots and one assist) tied Yevoli
for the Cavalier team high. A.J. Shannon added a pair of goals, and Foster
Gilbert contributed two assists. Virginia outscored Maryland 6-1 in the third
quarter and fired 15 shots to the Terps' eight.
The Cavaliers' two leading scorers (John Christmas and Chris Rotelli) were held
scoreless. Christmas has 34 goals and 11 assists on the year and Rotelli 25 and
19. Rotelli was named ACC Player of the Year.
"Every time they shot the ball, they got pretty good looks," Maryland senior
All-American defenseman Michael Howley said. "It's pretty unbelievable when you
shut down two of their best players and they still score over 10 goals. You've
got to give Virginia credit. They played excellent today and they're an
excellent team.
"If we scored a goal, they would come back and score two, and it's kind of
frustrating playing defense."
The Terps got one goal each from Mike Mollot, Brendan Healy, Sean Leary and Joe
Parker. Paul Gillette had the team's lone assist. Maryland's leading scorer,
freshman Joe Walters (46 points), did not score. He had three goals and an
assist in the Terrapins' 8-7 victory at Virginia on March 29.
Johnson allowed three goals and faced 34 shots in 56:20 of playing time. Many of
his stops were at close range.
"I think clearly those kind of saves lift the whole group," said Cavalier Coach
Dom Starsia, who led Virginia to the 1999 NCAA Championship. "As a former
defenseman myself, there's nothing that does more for you than playing in front
of somebody who's stopping the ball and giving you that kind of effort.
"I think subtly it wore on Maryland a little bit. I think they looked a little
like they were trying to cut it a little too fine offensively at time with some
of their shots."
NOTES -- Rotelli, who will probably be named All-American on Monday, needs one
assist to become the first Cavalier midfielder with at least 20 goals and 20
assists. ... Virginia improved to 31-40 in the all-time series with the Terps.
... The Cavs lost in last year's national semifinals, 12-11 to Syracuse. They
won their last championship game appearance, 12-10, over Syracuse at Maryland's
Byrd Stadium in 1999.
BALTIMORE — As good as his Virginia men’s lacrosse team was in the
regular season, Dom Starsia kept pointing out that the Cavaliers had not put
together a complete performance on offense and defense. Maybe this weekend, he
said optimistically, would be the time for his team to peak.
No maybes about it.
Following the lead of junior goalie Tillman Johnson, who played the best game
of his brilliant career, No. 2 Virginia manhandled No. 3 Maryland, 14-4, in
the NCAA semifinals Saturday. There were 37,823 witnesses at M&T Bank Stadium,
the biggest crowd ever to watch a college lacrosse game.
“The atmosphere was unbelievable, like nothing any of us had been a part of,”
said sophomore attackman Joe Yevoli. “To come out and play a game like that
was just an amazing feeling.”
The Cavaliers (14-2) weren’t perfect. They appeared nervous early on, making
sloppy passes and slipping on the muddy turf. But Johnson was sharp from the
outset. He stopped 11 shots in the first half and finished with 18 saves,
matching a career high, while giving up just three goals.
Ultimately, Johnson’s teammates rose to his level, and the end result was
Virginia’s most-lopsided victory in 22 Final Four games. Defensively, the
Cavaliers limited Maryland (12-4) to a single goal in each quarter. The four
goals allowed were a semifinal record.
Just as impressively, they shredded the nation’s most dominant defense. The
Terrapins had not yielded more than nine goals in a game all season, but
Virginia scored six times in the third quarter and got goals from eight
different players in avenging an 8-7 loss to Maryland on March 29.
“Thank goodness for second halves,” Starsia said. “I think we were a little
anxious early. We were throwing the ball all over the place. But by the second
half, we were obviously playing very well.”
The Cavaliers set a single-season school record for victories and advanced to
Monday’s 11 a.m. championship game against No. 1 Johns Hopkins, which produced
a 19-8 semifinal smackdown of its own against Syracuse.
Freshman attackman Matt Ward scored four goals on four shots for Virginia,
while Yevoli delivered three goals and two assists. Senior midfielder A.J.
Shannon scored twice and five Cavaliers added single goals, more than
offsetting pointless outings by All-ACC performers John Christmas and Chris
Rotelli.
“I give Virginia a lot of credit,” said Maryland defenseman Michael Howley.
“They played excellent today and they are an excellent team. We shut down
their top two scorers and they still won by 10 goals.”
The rout unfolded oddly, with Maryland maintaining possession for much of the
first half. For the Terrapins, the problem was getting the ball past UVa’s
last line of defense. Johnson had six saves in the first quarter and five more
in the second, including a number of extraordinary stops on point-blank shots.
“Tillman was the difference in the first half. He made some great saves,” said
Maryland coach Dave Cottle. “At halftime we had outcleared them, outshot them
and had more ground balls and were still down by three. I take my hat off to
Virginia.”
The Cavaliers led 2-1 after the first quarter and 5-2 at the half before
erupting in the third quarter. Ward spun past defenseman Lee Zink on a roll
dodge and bounced a shot past goalie Danny McCormick early in the period. A
minute later, Matt Poskay scored on a 12-yard rip.
After Mike Mollot’s goal brought Maryland within 7-3 with 12 minutes left in
the period, Yevoli scored the easiest goal of his life when Trey Whitty’s shot
deflected off the pipe. The ball caromed right into Yevoli’s stick in front of
the cage. Yevoli put that shot away and scored again minutes later on a
10-yard crank.
Ward and Shannon added goals late in the quarter to make it 11-3 and take the
heart out of the Terrapins, who started fouling in frustration late in the
game.
“In the first game against Maryland, we only scored seven goals,” Ward said.
“It was more our inconsistency and selfish play rather than their great
defense. This time we just came out and tried to move around and the field
helped us. Their defense works well with slides and when they start losing
their feet, it works to our advantage.”
The Cavaliers scored twice more to take a 13-3 lead before Johnson was taken
out to a rousing ovation. It may take more heroics from the goalie and his
teammates for Virginia to claim its first national title since 1999.
“Can we play a 60-minute game? I don’t know,” Starsia said. “Can we play a
little better?”
It was a rhetorical question, but Ward piped up with an answer.
“Yeah,” he said.
Scattershooting around the proposed ACC expansion and what we might
expect in the coming weeks ...
Don’t look for anything to be announced until at least later in the week if
that early. As ACC bylaws require, the conference will send out three groups
of ACC athletic directors, faculty reps, league officials and presidents to
the three invited schools (Miami, Boston College and Syracuse) sometime this
week.
The groups will be equipped with financial projections and other vital
information in an attempt to sway those schools to join the ACC. This
columnist predicts that once the three invitees hear the presentations, there
will be a somewhat quick and positive response.
Miami appears ready to jump in my opinion and if the Hurricanes take the leap,
Boston College and Syracuse will be right behind them.
Syracuse’s view
Speaking to sportswriters across the nation on a webcast press conference the
other day, Syracuse athletic director Jake Crouthamel as much as said that if
Miami joins the ACC, the Orangemen will follow. His comments essentially
confirmed that Syracuse and BC might stick with the Big East even if Miami
left the league.
But there’s no question that Miami is driving the wagon. The decision coming
out of South Florida will be made by 62-year-old Miami president Donna
Shalala, who is known for quick but solid decision-making when it comes to
athletic matters. She will be strongly advised by Miami AD Paul Dee, thought
to be in favor of expansion.
ACC sources insist that while money is one of the issues fueling expansion,
that it isn’t the main issue. Power is what this is all about.
North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour, who voted against expansion,
said that the ACC schools that supported expansion did so to keep the league
in a position of influence. The published reports he has seen, stating that
the ACC’s next football TV contract would be worth $50 million annually is
grossly overstated.
Several ACC sources have indicated that figure is more likely to somewhere
between $30 and $35 million, up from its current $20 to $25 million.
A super outlook
Former N.C. State athletic director Les Robinson said last week that he
believes that within five to 10 years, more sooner than later, that there will
be five superconferences in the nation and that those leagues will dominate
the college game: TV contracts, NCAA tournament, the BCS, bowl games, you name
it.
Those five in his mind, are the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10. Once the
ACC expands and develops a conference championship football game (12 teams in
a league are required to do this), such as the SEC and Big 12, that the Big
Ten and Pac-10 won’t be far behind. The Pac-10 has 10 schools, while the Big
10 has 11.
Both may be looking to add teams down the road and there could be defections
from what’s left of the Big East or from
some potentially disgruntled teams in the Big 12 looking for a better deal.
The SEC generated $1 million for each of its schools with the league
championship football game last season and the Big 12 generated $583,000 for
each of its schools with a similar title game.
No one is certain what would happen to the Big East, potentially a merger with
another league such as Conference USA or some raiding to form a league of
football-playing schools.
“Without Miami, can the Big East prosper as a BCS conference?” said Crouthamel.
“We believe the answer to that is yes. Without Miami, will the Big East be a
viable BCS conference? That’s problematic to the point where it is
questionable. And so, on the basis of our future as an institution and as an
athletics program and in looking forward to stability, Miami’s decision will
strongly influence our decision.”
Crouthamel said that if Miami leaves, it can’t be replaced.
“Where is the other school equal to Miami’s football program that is an
independent?” the Syracuse AD said.
“Notre Dame? Notre Dame isn’t going anywhere. OK, so now we have to go to
other conferences. We’ve got to raid other conferences for that Miami equal.
“Penn State would be logical. I cannot believe for a heartbeat that Penn State
would leave the Big Ten. So where do we go? Whom do we get? Tennessee?
Alabama? Florida? Michigan? Texas? I don’t know where that other school is or
why they would want to leave what they have.”
When the current BCS contract expires after the 2005 season, the
superconferences will have the strongest influence on what type of money will
be distributed, who plays in the games and who will be bystanders.
But that’s not all. There is some dissatisfaction with the way the NCAA is
doing business these days. Some of the bigger schools aren’t happy with
smaller schools having the same voting clout, which influences decisions and
rules for everyone.
Once the megaleagues are formed, they could play hardball on getting their way
or breaking away and forming a governing body that would be more aligned to
their needs.
Free throws ... You have to applaud Virginia coach Pete Gillen for his
team’s success in the classroom with four Cavaliers graduating last weekend:
Travis Watson, Jason Rogers, Todd Billet and Majestic Mapp. Billet and Mapp
will return as graduate students. ...And, don’t forget that Roger Mason Jr.,
would have been a graduating member had he stayed, but opted for the NBA after
his junior season, but plans to finish his degree down the road.
...Speaking of Watson, our spies indicate that the Cavalier rebounder will not
attend the NBA’s pre-draft camp in Chicago next week. ...We boo-booed recently
when noting that the Florida State at Notre Dame football game this fall would
be the nation’s highest-priced single-game, regular-season ticket at $48 a
pop. Irish grad and Progress reader John McGrath notified us that all Notre
Dame home games are priced at $48 and that the Golden Domer’s game at Michigan
tickets are going for $51 (Notre Dame at Syracuse tickets are $50), and we
haven’t had time to explore what the Michigan vs. Ohio State prices might be.
Carl and Hunter Smith are in a rarefied class of donors to the
University of Virginia, but the couple are known for their modesty and
loyalty, friends say.
“Wealth has not changed him,” said Betty Cauthen, a friend who has known Carl
Smith since the two were children in Southwest Virginia. “They’re just
wonderful people.”
UVa has plenty of praise for the Smiths as well: The couple —
Charlottesville-area residents for 45 years — gave $23.5 million this spring
for a new performing arts center and marching band, in addition to $25 million
given six years ago for Scott Stadium’s expansion.
“The performing arts center will be a wonderful place for all sorts of events
that we have not been able to accommodate adequately in Charlottesville,” said
Leonard W. Sandridge Jr., UVa’s executive vice president and chief operating
officer. “This will benefit the university and the larger community.”
The Smiths declined to be interviewed for this story, but Hunter Smith offered
a few words on the couple’s recent donation.
“I think it will be a real boon for the performing arts around here,” she
said. “We’d rather let the gift speak for us.”
A 1951 graduate of UVa’s College of Arts and Sciences, Carl Smith also has
donated generously to his hometown school, UVa’s College at Wise. A new
football stadium was built with Smith’s $3 million donation, given at the same
time as the Scott Stadium gift. He also has served on UVa’s Board of Visitors.
Smith’s sponsorship of football is logical; he was a highly regarded lineman
for the Cavaliers.
Joe Palumbo, a friend of Carl Smith’s since military school, played on UVa’s
football team with Smith. Even as a young man, Smith’s work ethic showed,
Palumbo said.
“The demands were always a lot at the University of Virginia. You practice in
the afternoon, and you were physically tired.”
Then the players had to study for classes. Smith always was a natural in the
classroom, Palumbo said, a reader and an inquisitive student.
After graduation, Smith, Palumbo and fellow football player Harrison “Chief”
Nesbit II formed an insurance company. But Smith’s big success came when he
took over the family coal business, eventually forming Amvest Inc., the second
largest surface mining company in Appalachia. Smith’s estimated net worth is
$585 million, according to Virginia Business.
“He made everything himself,” Palumbo said, “by hard work [and]
tenaciousness.”
Throughout the years, Smith has maintained friendships with many former
football players, said Henry Valentine, a former BOV member who attended UVa
at the same time as Smith.
“They were all very close friends,” he said. “They were a band of brothers.”
The stadium gift, given in 1997, led to quick work by architects and
construction workers, who met the fall 2000 deadline set by Carl Smith.
“He did not want it to be a back burner project,” said Terry Holland,
then-athletics director and now special assistant to UVa President John T.
Casteen III. “Let’s don’t talk about it — let’s do it.”
Smith considered donating money for a new basketball arena, Holland said, but
decided instead on the stadium expansion, which was considered a more direly
needed improvement.
“It takes years of cultivation usually for a donor,” Holland said, but in the
Smiths’ case, “once it was a stadium focus, it took a matter of months. It
took some real hustling by the architects.”
Bob Moje, a Charlottesville architect who worked on the expansion, echoed
Holland.
“It was a challenge to do it fast. It gave a sense of urgency. Sometimes when
things languish a while, it hurts a project.”
The performing arts center, part of the Virginia 2020 plan, will be less
rushed. Nevertheless, an architect will be hired in the coming months to
design the $47 million building.
Hunter Smith, a College of William and Mary alumna and a Martinsville native,
has worked extensively with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Monticello,
where she serves as secretary of the cabinet.
Despite what may seem to be opposing camps — she on the side of art, he on the
side of sport — “they work together as a team,” Valentine said. “She’s as
enthusiastic as he is [about football]. Every now and then, I get a call from
her about a recruiting matter. She’s right on top of it.”
The switch from athletics to the arts makes sense to friends.
“Recently their interests have been more eclectic,” said Leigh Middleditch, a
friend and former member of UVa’s Board of Visitors. “Like so many other
alumni, he feels the University of Virginia was instrumental in his success.”
Cauthen points to Carl Smith’s academic background: “Although he played
football, and that is his passion, he also went to college. We need something
like this very badly. I’m just very proud of him.”
As for the marching band, Smith supporters insist the $1.5 million donation
did not spring from disgust with the controversy-prone Pep Band, which played
its last football game in the past school year.
“Most of us enjoy the Pep Band,” Valentine said, “but when they step over the
line, we kind of cringe. I’ve never heard Carl or Hunter on the subject of the
Pep Band.”
Hunter Smith added that the marching band and the Pep Band likely will be
similar musically — minus the running commentary and jokes over the stadium’s
public-address system.
“The future of the Pep Band was not an issue for the Smiths,” Sandridge added.
“They are interested in the music program and believed a marching and concert
band will enhance the program and help attract talented students.”
Royal runs 4.37, gets camp MVP
The reference was to Ryan's one-month suspension as Boston Globe columnist for telling a radio talk-show audience that he would have liked to slap the wife of New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd.
Yes, there have been some people I might have liked to slap this week, particularly at the ACC Baseball Tournament, but even more people have wanted to slap me.
"I've worked with bigger SOBs than you," said Salem director of facilities Carey Harveycutter in a back-handed compliment.
No doubt the weather has had a lot to do with it, although my chief aggravation has been with the ACC for postponing four tournament games Wednesday when it easily could have played two and possibly three.
One occasion that wasn't marred by the weather or threat of weather or dumb decision-making was the Nike football camp last Saturday at Virginia Tech.
What I expected was a meat market and what I saw, amid the raindrops, was a worthwhile event for all involved. "An absolute success," Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring said. Virginia Tech's desire to serve as host was a no-brainer.
You don't turn down the opportunity to bring 300 prospects to campus (the final number was 293), many of them in the elite category. Nevertheless, Tech and other schools were placed in a quandary by NCAA rules that count the camp as one of the two May evaluations that schools are allotted with any prospect in attendance.
In other words, if a staff already had made its two evaluations with one player who was at the camp, it would have been a breaking a rule even if it came to the camp to see another player.
Virginia was one of the programs that did not attend the camp, although it was unclear whether the Cavaliers already had visited one of the players twice or if they merely wanted to save an evaluation for later in the month.
Virginia Tech recruiting coordinator Jim Cavanaugh said the Hokies "debated" whether to have their coaches on hand before deciding it was the best move. So did a dozen other schools, including Notre Dame, UCLA, Michigan, Georgia Tech and Maryland. It made a lot of sense for some of the national powers who would never have the manpower to assess the close to 100 in-state prospects who were in one place Saturday.
WHAT IMPRESSED ME most was the quality of the teaching and the organization under which the final horn blew at 1:40 p.m., 20 minutes before the scheduled completion of the four-hour event.
One of the attractions was quarterback guru Bob Johnson, who, if I'm not mistaken is the father of new Washington Redskins quarterback Rob Johnson and a mentor for Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer. Johnson handles invitations for the Elite 11 quarterback camp and was hoping to get a look at three possible invitees, including Sean Glennon from Westfield High School in Fairfax County.
However, Glennon, rated the No. 1 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times, has a broken left (non-throwing) wrist that prevented him from working out.
Glennon said two other quarterbacks Johnson was evaluating were 6-2 1/2 Brian Savage from Haverford, Pa., and 6-1 Jordan Steffy from Lancaster, Pa. Savage said he has been offered a scholarship by Wisconsin, while Glennon has offers from Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. Glennon said Tech is "right at the top of" the list of schools that have offered him, while Virginia and Notre Dame are in a similar position among the schools that have not offered him but are recruiting him. Glennon plans to attend camps at Tech, UVa and Notre Dame, although he isn't sure that he will be able to do much.
ALTHOUGH GLENNON WAS unable to work out, his school produced one of the most impressive performers, Eddie Royal, a 5-10, 161-pound wide receiver who was named camp MVP. Royal, who has had a sister at Tech, had the best time of the day (4.37) for 40 yards. According to studentsports.com, which coordinates the camp for Nike, Royal's only offer to date is from Marshall, represented in Blacksburg by assistant coach Shaine Miles, a former Salem High School and Virginia Tech player.
Among the other in-state players who were ranked among the top three at their positions were wide receiver Pierre Penn (5-10 1/2, 169) from Heritage High School in Lycnhburg, running back Evan Taylor (5-9, 164) from Princess Anne in Virginia Beach, running back Marquis Lee (5-8, 162) and defensive back Richard Taylor (5-10 1/2, 186) from Centreville in Clifton, offensive lineman Isaac Martin (6-2 1/2, 298) from Northside in Roanoke and linebacker Tyler Tifton (6-1 1/2, 210) from Lynchburg Christian. Another Northside lineman, 6-4, 284-pound Brandon Holland, confirmed that he has received a scholarship offer from Tech and said he favors the Hokies. Studentsports.com gave commendation to two other in-state linemen, John Bradshaw (6-5, 289) from Stafford and Zack Stair (6-6, 279) from Osbourn Park.
FROM ALL APPEARANCES, recent Northern Virginia power Centreville should be loaded again next year. In addition to the above-mentioned Lee and Taylor, coach Mike Skinner has picked up an all-state player from Texas in linebacker D.J. Grant and Centreville's best player might be Steven Tate, a 5-foot-11, 176-pound wide receiver and defensive back. Grant, the son of ex-Washington Redskins lineman Darryl Grant, was measured at 6-2 1/2 and 239 pounds and was timed in 4.62 seconds for the 40. Grant said he will attend one-day camps at Clemson, Maryland and Michigan and is just beginning to familiarize himself with programs in the ACC area.
ACC has forgotten the fundamentals
PAUL WOODY
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST May 25, 2003
Call Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or e-mail him at pwoody@timesdispatch.com
At regular intervals, someone comes along with an idea that is supposed to
revolutionize a game.
The run-and-shoot offense was supposed to change professional football.
Instead, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the most recent Super Bowl with an
exceptional defense and a solid, conventional offense.
Paul Westhead's souped-up version of the fast break was supposed to be the wave
of the future in basketball.
Instead, teams at every level still find that defense, rebounding and smart shot
selection are the most important elements for success.
The fundamentals of the games do not change no matter how hard people try.
Fundamentals matter elsewhere in the sports world as well.
We now are faced with an idea in the survival of college conferences. Bigger is
thought to be better because it makes a conference football championship game
possible. Such games can be quite lucrative, which makes everyone in the
conference richer.
This has led the Atlantic Coast Conference to recruit the University of Miami,
which in turn will bring Boston College and Syracuse University with it.
Integrity, which should be the fundamental foundation of any relationship, is
cracking on several fronts.
The ACC does not need Miami, Boston College and Syracuse to survive or even to
thrive. The Big East does. But in an attempt to make more money and prove it is
the fittest in this new survival game among conferences, the ACC has sold its
dignity and shaken the foundation on which it has stood since it was established
in 1953.
The ACC is implying that a conference's existence depends on national success,
championship-caliber football programs and large media markets.
If this is the case, should some current ACC members feel secure?
If they were not already in the ACC, would Clemson or Wake Forest have a remote
chance of being considered for membership?
How is Clemson any different from Virginia Tech or West Virginia?
In athletics, how is Wake Forest that much different than the University of
Connecticut?
If 12 is the ACC's perfect number, and the University of Florida, with its BCS-caliber
football team and a quality basketball program, one day wants to join the ACC,
would the league consider jettisoning Clemson or Wake Forest to make room?
A month ago, the answer to that question was, "It's not even remotely possible."
A decade from now, the answer could be different.
The ramifications of the ACC's courtship of Miami are not confined to the Big
East and the ACC. If the ACC's expansion goes as planned and a number of
conferences are roiled in the process, can any member of any conference feel
secure?
The Big East decries how it is being raided by the ACC. But if those three
schools leave, the Big East is almost certain to raid another conference,
probably Conference USA, for three new football members. Conference USA then
must engage in a raid of its own.
Volcanic rhetoric and the potential for hypocrisy are standards as well, so
let's be clear on one issue. Last week, Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese
said he "represents 14 educational institutions."
That sounds nice. But Tranghese represents the athletic interests of those
institutions, and that is decidedly different from the educational interests.
The athletic interests are purely a matter of business. Miami isn't interested
in leaving the Big East because it prefers to be aligned with Duke and Georgia
Tech instead of Georgetown and Villanova. Miami is interested in the increased
revenues it can earn in the ACC.
That these schools are supposed to be in the business of education is the first
fundamental that has been forgotten. And that goes a long way in explaining just
how we got into this mess.
Johnson saves best for semis
Cavaliers gain NCAA title game
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER May 25, 2003
NCAA LACROSSE
VIRGINIA 14 MARYLAND 4
TOMORROW:
Final vs. Johns Hopkins, 11 a.m. TV:
ESPN
BALTIMORE - More than 37,000 fans at M&T Bank Stadium and an ESPN2 audience saw
yesterday what the Virginia men's lacrosse team sees all the time: goalie
Tillman Johnson making one sensational save after another.
Johnson, a junior from nearby Annapolis, tied his career high with 18 saves and
allowed only three goals as second-seeded Virginia hammered third-seeded
Maryland 14-4 to advance to the NCAA title game.
"This is what we see at practice every single day," Cavaliers coach Dom Starsia
said. "It's nice for us to see Tillman do this on a big stage, because we really
appreciate him, and I think some other people are starting to see the same thing
we see every day."
A crowd of 37,823 watched yesterday's semifinals, shattering the record of
30,580 set in 1997 at Maryland's Byrd Stadium. It witnessed Johnson's third
straight postseason gem as the Cavaliers avenged one of their two regular-season
losses.
He allowed one goal against Mount St. Mary's in the NCAA tournament's first
round and made 16 saves against Georgetown in last weekend's quarterfinals.
"If anybody asks, I'm the goalie coach," Starsia said, tongue in cheek.
Virginia (14-2) returns to this stadium tomorrow to meet top-seeded Johns
Hopkins (14-1) for the national title. ESPN will televise the 11 a.m. game.
Hopkins edged U.Va. 8-7 in this city March 22. Virginia is seeking its first
NCAA title since 1999.
Maryland finished 12-4. Of the Terrapins' top nine scorers, only senior Mike
Mollot scratched yesterday, and he was held to a single goal. The four goals
were the fewest ever allowed by a team in an NCAA semifinal.
"You gotta give Tillman Johnson credit," Mollot said. "He was unbelievable. He
played his [derriere] off. He was as good as advertised."
When these teams met March 29 at Klockner Stadium, Virginia trailed 7-2 midway
through the third quarter and lost 8-7. Yesterday, the Cavaliers turned the ball
over 10 times in the first half, yet still led 5-2 at the break.
"I was genuinely surprised that we were ahead," Starsia said. "They didn't make
us pay for our mistakes."
The Terrapins unloaded a flurry of shots at Johnson early, but he withstood
their barrage. Once Virginia's offense found its rhythm, Maryland had no chance.
"I felt good all day," Johnson said. "I just wanted to stay relaxed and play my
game. I didn't want to let the crowd and just the whole tournament overwhelm
me."
Attackmen Matt Ward and Joe Yevoli led Virginia with five points apiece. Ward, a
freshman, tied his career high with four goals and added an assist. Yevoli, a
sophomore, contributed three goals and two assists. Senior midfielder A.J.
Shannon added two goals, and freshman midfielder Foster Gilbert had two assists
for the Cavaliers.
ACC player of the year Chris Rotelli didn't score for Virginia. Neither did
all-ACC attackman John Christmas. It didn't matter. Rotelli and Christmas drew
considerable attention from Maryland's vaunted defense, creating opportunities
for their teammates, who capitalized repeatedly.
"If you want to bet me whether they'll go two games in a row without scoring,
then I'll take the bet," Starsia said with a smile.
In yesterday's first game, Hopkins embarrassed defending national champion
Syracuse 19-8. The Blue Jays advanced to the title game for the first time since
1989.
SOME SAY CAVALIERS' PRIZED RECRUIT IS UNDERRATED
May 25, 2003
Steve Smith, basketball coach at perennial power Oak Hill Academy, has nothing
but good things to say about his guard J.R. Reynolds, who's headed to the
University of Virginia. But if you want to get Smith revved up, ask him about
Gary Forbes, the jewel of U.Va.'s five-player recruiting class.
Smith coached Forbes in last month's Derek Anderson Derby Classic, an all-star
game in Louisville, Ky. Forbes, a 6-6 swingman from Brooklyn, N.Y., scored a
team-high 20 points and added eight rebounds and three assists.
"I was very, very impressed with him as a player and very impressed with him
just as an individual," Smith said. "He's a great kid. He's going to be an awful
good player at Virginia. . . . I thought they were getting a good player, but I
didn't know he was as good as he is. He's better than a lot of guys rated ahead
of him [nationally]. He could be a top-25 player."
Forbes entered his senior season at Benjamin Banneker High billed as one of New
York City's top players.
"It's a lot of pressure," he said, "because if you can't come out and perform,
you hear about it on the streets. It's like putting on a show."
This show was a smash hit. Forbes averaged 27 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and
3 blocked shots. With 1,512 points, he's the all-time leading scorer at Banneker.
Forbes knows Reynolds from the Nike summer camp, and they'll probably room
together at U.Va. this summer. Both won big in high school, and they plan to do
the same in college.
"Hopefully me, him and the other three guys can turn things around," Forbes
said. - Jeff White
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Faculty leaders at North Carolina have formally come out in opposition to the proposed expansion of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Ten members of the school's Faculty Council's executive committee, on Friday unanimously opposed ACC expansion in a resolution that will be sent to Chancellor James Moeser and faculty groups at other ACC schools.
School presidents in the conference voted earlier this month to begin discussions with Big East members Miami, Boston College and Syracuse about joining their nine-team league.
Sue Estroff, the council's chairwoman, said the university presidents and faculty athletics representatives from the nine ACC campuses shouldn't have kept the expansion plan under wraps for months.
"This bothers me," Estroff said. "For our sports enterprise to take us into territory where meaningful conversation cannot happen is problematic."
Estroff cited an account she received by e-mail this past week from an ACC faculty representative at Duke that said conference expansion began to be discussed in detail by the league last fall.
The council called on university presidents to halt negotiations until faculty are more involved in the process.
Adding the more distant Big East schools to the conference will mean extra travel time and more missed classes for athletes, according to the resolution the panel approved.
"I don't care if they're playing Washington State," said Bobbi Owen, a professor of dramatic art. "It doesn't seem to me that we should allow any more free days for students to miss class."
Duke and North Carolina were the only two ACC schools that voted not to expand at the league's meetings in Florida earlier this month. But Moeser and Duke president Nan Keohane agreed a few days later to work to include the three Big East schools in the league.
Cavaliers take big stick to Terps in 14-4 romp
UVa. shreds UM defense; Johnson is a rock in goal
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Gary Lambrecht
Sun Staff
Originally published May 25, 2003
The ominous signs appeared early yesterday for the University of Maryland. Never
a particularly good shooting lacrosse team, the Terrapins wasted a handful of
high-percentage chances against Virginia goalkeeper Tillman Johnson.
From there, things steadily flowed downhill for Maryland. Its highly touted
defense sprung leak after leak, then came unglued with its worst showing of the
season. Its offense, suspect for much of the season, vanished. And Johnson (St.
Mary's), considered by many to be the most consistent goalie in the game, never
let up in the cage.
When this lopsided NCAA tournament semifinal was finally over at M&T Bank
Stadium, the Terps were left to digest a 14-4 rout by Virginia.
The Cavaliers set a single-season school record for victories, showed that they,
too, can play great defense, and roared into tomorrow's national championship
game against top-seeded Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays defeated Syracuse in the
other semifinal, 19-8.
An NCAA tournament-record crowd of 37,823 watched the Cavaliers (14-2) advance
to their first title game since winning it all in 1999. And it saw Virginia
dispose of Maryland (12-4) with stunning ease, two months after the Cavaliers
had dropped an 8-7 decision to the Terps.
"Our goals were much higher than this. We wanted a title, not a T-shirt,"
Maryland senior defenseman Michael Howley said. "It's my first final four and my
last final four. It feels pretty devastating."
The third-seeded Terps rode their defense all the way to their first final four
since 1998, but second-seeded Virginia broke down Maryland in a way the Terps
had not experienced.
The Cavaliers, led by freshman attackman Matt Ward's four goals and three from
sophomore attackman Joe Yevoli, turned a 5-2 halftime lead into a laugher with a
six-goal outburst in the third quarter.
Despite not getting a point from senior midfielder Chris Rotelli - a national
Player of the Year candidate - and sophomore attackman John Christmas, its
leading goal scorer, Virginia rang up four more goals than Maryland had allowed
in any game this season. The Terps' previous worst came in a 10-6 loss to North
Carolina on March 22.
Offensively, Maryland was even more of a mess. The Terps set a record low for
goals scored in an NCAA tournament semifinal. Their starting attack of Brian
Hunt, Dan LaMonica and Joe Walters was shut out. Senior Mike Mollot scored once,
representing the output of the entire first midfield unit.
It was a terrible day for a Maryland offense that hit numerous scoring droughts
all year. It started in the opening minutes, when the Terps could not solve
Johnson despite several point-blank opportunities. Johnson stopped six shots in
the opening quarter, en route to matching his career high of 18 saves.
After that, the close defense of Brett Hughes, David Burman and Ned Bowen and
long-stick midfielder Trey Whitty warmed up. Maryland, which took 39 shots and
never led, could not dodge effectively in the soggy turf, failed to move the
ball sharply enough to crack the Cavaliers' defense, and missed the cage
altogether on too many other attempts.
"[Virginia] beat us from the opening whistle. We're not a very good shooting
team," Mollot said. "I think every goalie we play seems to be better than they
really are, but Tillman was as good as advertised out there."
Said Johnson: "I felt good all day. I just wanted to stay relaxed and composed.
I didn't want to let the crowd or the whole tournament overwhelm me. I wanted to
stay focused on the job at hand."
With the exception of Howley, who covered Christmas, Maryland's defenders did
not adjust to Virginia's dodging on the wet field, did not slide effectively and
gave midfielders like A.J. Shannon (two goals) too much room to shoot from the
outside.
The Terps were one frustrated group at halftime. They had managed two goals on
21 shots, despite playing decent defense and holding their own in the faceoff
game.
Virginia then pounced on Maryland with six third-period goals, matching the
worst quarter of the year for the Terps' defense. Ward and Matt Poskay scored in
the opening three minutes of the third quarter, making it 7-2 with 12:27 left.
Mollot then scored, but the Cavaliers responded with four straight goals to make
it 11-3 at quarter's end.
Ballgame.
"At halftime, we were a little down. We weren't playing poorly, we just hadn't
scored. We're not built for 12, 13 or 14 goals," Maryland coach Dave Cottle
said. "If we had scored a couple in the third quarter, that would have helped us
defensively. But they jumped on us, and the game got away from us. We got
whacked."
With faceoff men on the ball, Blue Jays eye return to glory
Mike Preston
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOHNS HOPKINS' Kyle Harrison, Lou Braun and Greg Peyser combined for only two
goals and one assist yesterday, but they dominated the game.
In a game in which 27 goals were scored, 95 shots taken and 18 assists
accumulated, No. 1 seed Johns Hopkins defeated archrival Syracuse, 19-8, at M&T
Bank Stadium because the trio won the most important game inside the game.
Besides the final score, here is the most significant statistic of the Blue
Jays' Division I semifinal victory: Hopkins won 19 of 30 faceoffs, including 11
of 15 in the second half. That's also when Hopkins scored 13 of its 14
unanswered goals to send Syracuse packing on a return trip north.
Goodbye, Orangemen.
Hello, national championship game.
Hopkins (14-1) will play Virginia (14-2) for the title tomorrow, and if the Blue
Jays' three-headed monster of Harrison, Braun and Peyser dominates faceoffs the
way it did against Syracuse, a ring and a new championship trophy will be on
display at Homewood. The last trophy came in 1987.
"A lot of people are probably thinking Hopkins is satisfied just to get to the
championship game," said Blue Jays coach Dave Pietramala. "The answer is far
from being yes. We are not even close to being satisfied."
Asked about the key to victory, Pietramala said, "I can't put my finger on one
thing, but a lot has to do with faceoffs, that's for sure. Our offense helps our
defense a great deal. But let's not kid ourselves here. The more we have the
ball on offense, the better our defense looks."
And who kept giving the Blue Jays the ball, allowing them to control the time
and finish off shots?
Harrison, Braun and Peyser. It sounds like a new law firm. With each controlled
faceoff, the Blue Jays looked more and more like a Syracuse team. They ran a
clinic on the Orangemen in the second half, scoring every way imaginable.
Harrison, the Blue Jays' top faceoff man, won eight of 11, Braun was 9-for-15
and Peyser was 2-for-4. They dominated Syracuse's Chris Bickel, who had won 190
of 339 faceoffs this season, including 19 of 33 in the Orangemen's 15-14 win
against Hopkins in March.
All week, the three Blue Jays studied film of Bickel. They spent an extra 45
minutes each day after practice working against each other. When the opening
whistle sounded yesterday, the Blue Jays had Bickel on the brain.
"I'm not surprised," Braun said of the trio's success. "I think we have the best
faceoff group in the country."
They also have a new fan: Syracuse coach John Desko.
"In the second half, they seemed to have success with the two and three guys in
the faceoff," Desko said. "It hurt us, put a lot more pressure on us."
Actually, Bickel won three of the game's first four faceoffs, helping Syracuse
take a 3-0 lead. But the more Harrison, Braun and Peyser became comfortable, the
more they started to wear down Bickel.
And that's when the game started to turn.
Harrison won the opening faceoff of the second half, and 25 seconds later he
scored to tie the game 7-7. After Braun won a faceoff with 5:51 left in the
third quarter, Hopkins midfielder Bobby Benson scored 2 1/2 minutes later for a
9-7 lead.
But more important than scoring goals, the Blue Jays controlled the tempo. They
ran fast breaks when they had them and scored on wrap-around shots and underhand
bombs. But they also took the Orangemen apart deliberately, pass by pass, minute
by minute and second by second.
Over the years, no coach has devised a defensive game plan to stop Syracuse. The
Orangemen have too many athletes, too many weapons. But they can't score if they
don't have the ball. Hopkins players like Corey Harned, Benson Erwin, Joe
McDermott and Robert Witt came buzzing in from the wings to pick up loose balls
on faceoffs, or keep the other Orangemen off their faceoff guys.
Syracuse's Michael Powell, the best attackman in the game, finished with no
goals and two assists. Fellow attackman Michael Springer, with one of the
hardest shots in the game, had one goal.
Syracuse went an unheard-of 30:44 without a goal. Many kept waiting and waiting
for a vintage run, but the Orangemen's only goal of the second half came on an
extra-man opportunity with 55 seconds left.
This was Syracuse's worst loss in NCAA tournament history. This wasn't a loss;
it was a beating.
"They kept the ball away from our offense," Desko said. "Our defense played an
awful lot today in the second half. They did a great job of finding the open man
and they are great finishers. ... You just can't give them those opportunities."
Next up for the Blue Jays are the Cavaliers. They like to run and play a style
similar to Syracuse's, though they don't have the Orangemen's overall athletic
ability.
Yesterday, Virginia's Jack deVilliers won 12 of 21 faceoffs in the Cavaliers'
14-4 win over Maryland, which took away a lot of excitement from the hometown
fans with its own Syracuse-like meltdown.
But if Hopkins can control the faceoffs again, Virginia won't be able to run or
shoot.
Just ask Syracuse.
Pack the ACC pick in football
By FRANK DASCENZO : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
May 24, 2003 : 11:37 pm ET
In the always dangerous world of predicting too early, allow me to stick my
proverbial neck out and say that N.C. State will win the 2003 ACC football
championship, play in a BCS bowl and Chuck Amato will be quoted more than ever.
Sure, it’s a risk — I mean the Wolfpack hasn’t won the conference title since
1979 — but if you give me Philip Rivers, and those other six starters returning
on offense, and those five on defense and — hey now, look at this — those seven
home games, I like my chances.
That said, here’s a springtime look at what all of us might look for, and want
to ask about, when August gets here:
-- N.C. STATE: Most of the people who don’t like predictions say they’re done
based on last season. They also say that too much attention is given to last
season. I don’t care what they say. What I care about is that the Wolfpack’s
three-game losing streak last November wasn’t as bad as it looked. There were no
blowouts — a touchdown to Georgia Tech, a field goal at Maryland and five points
at Virginia.
Amato has blended his coaching skills with his sometimes—emotional motivational
ploys and it looks like an ideal fit for the kids in red and white. T.A.
McLendon scored an ACC-high 18 touchdowns as a true freshman and every Wolfpack
Clubber from Hillsborough Street to the Tennessee border can’t wait to see him
run against the Buckeyes on Sept. 13.
QUESTION WORTH ASKING: Well, there really are two: Can the Wolfpack win at Ohio
State and can the Wolfpack beat FSU, in Tallahassee on Nov. 15, for a third
straight season?
-- VIRGINIA: Al Groh must be a genius. The Cavs won nine of their last 11 games
in Groh’s second season. Fourteen true freshmen played for UVa in 2002 and
played well enough to help the Cavs shock the ACC — preseason picked 8th and
finished 2nd — and embarrass West Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl.
Quarterback Matt Schaub managed to defy the better-late-than-never theory. He
led the Cavs to three fourth-quarter victories along the way to being voted ACC
player of the year. The bad news for the rest of the ACC is that Schaub returns
for his senior season.
Schaub seems as good a reason as any to think that Virginia could be even better
than a year ago. But here’s another — the Cavs get eight defensive starters
back.
QUESTION WORTH ASKING: Is Virginia really a football school now?
-- FLORIDA STATE: If you’re like me, you feel for Bobby Bowden. Off the field
woes, sure. But look at that non-ACC schedule. Who made it, Dave Hart Jr. or the
guy before him? I mean the Noles play Colorado, Miami, Notre Dame and Florida.
True, 10 starters are back on defense but only four on offense.
FSU scored only 20 points in a couple losses to former assistants last season,
seven vs. the Wolfpack and 13 vs. Mark Richt’s Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar
Bowl.
QUESTION WORTH ASKING: Are the Seminoles still the team to beat in the ACC?
-- MARYLAND: The Terps are well-coached by Ralph Freidgen, but you know that.
They averaged 426.7 yards and 30.5 points per game last season in winning 10 of
their last 11, including that 30-3 rout of Tennessee at the Peach Bowl.
Kicker Nick Novak (24 of 28 FGs, including 8-of-10 from beyond 40 yards) could
be invaluable in close encounters.
QUESTION WORTH ASKING: Who makes the Terps’ non-ACC schedules, the tooth fairy
or Cinderella?
-- GEORGIA TECH: Something’s wrong here. The Yellow Jackets surrendered 81
points in losing their final two games last season, 51 at Georgia and 30 against
Fresno State. Chan Gailey’s exit from the NFL, where he coached the Dallas
Cowboys, into college football wasn’t as pleasant as Tech fans hoped.
QUESTION WORTH ASKING: Could Tech’s streak of six straight bowl appearances be
in jeopardy?
-- NORTH CAROLINA: The best thing John Bunting can do is forget last season’s
1-7 ACC finish. And to UNC fans, wherever you are, Julius Peppers was pretty
good, wasn’t he? Did the Heels really start a different lineup on defense in
every game last season and isn’t that rather dangerous?
QUESTION WORTH ASKING: Just how long does it take to see the Heels play good
defense again?
-- CLEMSON: The good news is that the Tigers beat South Carolina last season.
Bad news is that they were humbled at home by N.C. State, struggled to beat
Duke, lost to Maryland and couldn’t beat Texas Tech in the Tangerine Bowl.
QUESTION WORTH ASKING: How popular is Tommy Bowden these days in Death Valley?
-- WAKE FOREST: Two seasons with Jim Grobe have meant two winning seasons but
the Deacons are rebuilding and have only three starters back on offense. We all
know that Grobe is very good but we might find out this season if he is a
miracle worker.
QUESTION WORTH ASKING: Since the Deacs were 4-2 at home in 2002, will seven
games at Groves Stadium — including non-conference contests with Purdue, East
Carolina and Connecticut — make a difference?
-- DUKE: In basketball, it’s a big story whenever the Blue Devils lose. In
football, it’s a big story whenever the Blue Devils win. And Duke, riding a
25-game ACC football losing streak, opens at Virginia Aug. 30.
QUESTION WORTH ASKING: How many games does Carl Franks, 5-40 in four seasons,
need to win to keep his job?
Virginia, Hopkins Roll to Final
Johnson Silences Terrapins in Front of Record Crowd
By Christian Swezey
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, May 25, 2003; Page E01
BALTIMORE, May 24 -- By early in the second quarter of Virginia's 14-4 victory
over Maryland in the NCAA lacrosse tournament semifinals at M&T Bank Stadium
today, Cavaliers junior goalkeeper Tillman Johnson already had a dirty jersey.
It seemed appropriate because Johnson had done plenty of work by that point.
Johnson tied a career high with 18 saves, including 11 in the first half, and
freshman Matt Ward added four goals on four shots for Virginia.
The second-seeded Cavaliers (14-2) advanced to play No. 1 Johns Hopkins (14-1)
in the championship game at 11 a.m. Monday. Johns Hopkins defeated defending
champion Syracuse, 19-8, in the first semifinal.
The crowd of 37,823 broke the previous attendance record of 30,580, set at Byrd
Stadium in 1997.
Against that backdrop, Johnson discouraged No. 3 Maryland (12-4) and its offense
nearly from the outset. Johnson had six saves in the first quarter, including
three on point-blank shots and two others while Maryland was in its extra-man
offense.
Maryland trailed 5-2 at halftime, even though it outshot Virginia 21-17 in the
half.
"It looked like Maryland was trying to be a little too fine with their shots"
after the first quarter, Virginia Coach Dom Starsia said. "They were trying to
hit the corners, and that put a lot of pressure on them."
Said Maryland senior attackman Mike Mollot: "Every goalie seems better than they
really are when we play them -- but that was not the case with Tillman. . . . We
didn't take a lot of outside shots. And I credit Tillman."
The goal total for Maryland was the lowest in a semifinal in the tournament's
33-year history. Four teams had scored five goals.
Maryland's starting attackmen did not score today. Senior Brian Hunt went 0 for
5, junior Dan LaMonica went 0 for 4 and freshman Joe Walters, the team's leading
scorer, went 0 for 3. Johnson saved nine of those shots.
"I felt good all day," said Johnson (St. Mary's-Annapolis). "I just wanted to
stay relaxed and composed and play my game."
Johnson continued a penchant for playing well in important games -- his previous
18-save games came in a 12-11 overtime loss to Syracuse in the NCAA semifinals
last year and in a 14-13 overtime victory over North Carolina in the ACC
semifinals in April.
Johnson, however, was not the only player to continue a trend of playing well in
big games. Ward entered today with 21 goals; 19 had come against ranked teams.
On Virginia's first possession, however, he overthrew a pass for senior
midfielder Billy Glading, who was wide open and cutting toward the goal.
"I remember at the beginning of the game I threw that ball over [Glading's] head
and I thought, 'Oh great,' " Ward said. "Then Tillman made about three
point-blank saves in a row, and it helped me get my confidence back."
Said Starsia: "After that first pass, I was yelling at Matt from the sideline.
Luckily he could not hear me because of all the crowd noise. . . . Since he came
in here in the fall, he has shown an uncommon amount of maturity."
Ward regrouped and scored three of his goals against junior defenseman Lee Zink;
the first, the opening goal of the game with 9 minutes 41 seconds left in the
first quarter, ended a streak of at least 185 minutes in which players guarded
by Zink were held scoreless.
Ward's performance was reminiscent of the one then-freshman Conor Gill had in a
16-11 victory over Johns Hopkins in a semifinal in 1999. In that game, Gill
scored five goals on five shots. A Landon graduate, Ward also had scored several
big goals in high school, including a winning goal in overtime against rival
Georgetown Prep last year.
Sophomore Joe Yevoli had three goals and two assists today; Virginia won even
though leading scorers John Christmas and Chris Rotelli were held scoreless.
In the first semifinal, Johns Hopkins advanced to the championship game for the
first time since 1989.
Syracuse (10-6) led 7-6 at halftime, but the Blue Jays scored the first 13 goals
of the second half and 14 straight goals overall. Senior Bobby Benson had four
goals on four shots, and sophomore Kyle Barrie also had four goals for the Blue
Jays. Senior Brian Nee had two goals for the Orangemen.
"There was no yelling and no panicking at halftime," Johns Hopkins Coach Dave
Pietramala said. "For us, it was a matter of staying the course."
Said Syracuse Coach John Desko: "Sometimes when you lose by a goal you go back
and question everything. But when you get manhandled like we did today . . . my
hat goes off to them. They deserved to win."
Big East digs in as ACC plans to visit
Representatives travel to BC, Miami and SU this week. The Big East lobbies for
survival.
May 25, 2003
By Donnie Webb
Staff writer
Phone lines are humming and e-mails are proliferating as university presidents,
politicians and athletic directors connected with Big East Conference schools
make a desperate attempt to stop May madness.
Against that backdrop, the Atlantic Coast Conference's expansion initiative
moves forward. ACC officials are expected to make campus visits this week to
Syracuse, Boston College and Miami, the three Big East schools the ACC has
identified for extraction.
Syracuse could not confirm the visit on Friday. Neither could the ACC office.
There will likely be two or three ACC visitation teams fanning out to cover the
three Big East campuses. Syracuse athletic director Jake Crouthamel has
described the visits as "getting to know one another."
The Raleigh News and Observer reported the ACC visitation committees would
likely include an athletic director, a university president or chancellor, a
faculty athletics representative and an ACC staff member. The newspaper said all
three visits should be concluded by Thursday.
Official invitations from the ACC should follow, perhaps even the following
week. Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow called it a fait accompli - a done
deal - on John Thompson's radio program last week.
The process, at least on the Syracuse end, is anything but done.
Crouthamel said this week he's involved in dual processes. He continues to talk
with Big East directors about potential solutions to maintain the football
league. The other process is to explore joining the ACC.
Similar discussions are taking place at the presidential level. Syracuse
chancellor Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw is a possible flash point of lobbying by Big East
presidents to get his school to stay.
University of Connecticut president Phil Austin told The Boston Globe this week
that a window of opportunity exists to stop Syracuse, Miami and Boston College
from leaving.
"In talking toBuzz Shaw, I got the feeling he wanted to keep the status quo,"
Austin told The Globe, "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."
Shaw is closely aligned with University of Miami president Donna Shalala.
Syracuse spokesman Kevin Morrow said Shaw and Shalala are friends. Shalala holds
the key to everything. If she decides Miami will leave the Big East, Syracuse
and Boston College will have had their fates sealed to go along.
"We don't find ourselves in the position of being able to dictate," Crouthamel
said. "On the basis of our future as an institution, as an athletic program and
looking forward to stability, Miami's decision will strongly influence our
decision."
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported this week that the athletic directors of
the five Big East football teams not invited to the ACC voted not to seek slots
in that league if Syracuse and Boston College say no.
The problem there is that Boston College apparently wants to go to the ACC. That
would leave Syracuse in an untenable position with Virginia Tech, which sought
unsuccessfully to be included in the ACC grouping. The Orangemen would almost
certainly follow Miami's lead.
Morrow said Shaw and Shalala talk regularly about the issue. Morrow said Shaw
would make the final decision for SU on the ACC, though he'll lean heavily on
Crouthamel's recommendation.
Big East Conferencecommissioner Mike Tranghese suggested that the league's
presidents and chancellors are seeking an audience with Shalala.
University of Pittsburgh vice chancellor Jerry Cochran said last week at the Big
East meetings that his school's chancellor, Mark A. Nordenberg, absolutely wants
a gathering.
However, while the presidents may be talking to one another, a Big East official
said the summit probably won't happen.
Crouthamel is the point man for Syracuse with the ACC and is in contact with ACC
commissioner John Swofford, Morrow said. Swofford is the former athletic
director at North Carolina and has a long relationship with Crouthamel.
Syracuse seems tohave shifted its view of the issue of ACC expansion and leaving
the Big East. Crouthamel previously called the move an option. Now, Shaw calls
it an opportunity.
Crouthamel said a Big East without a spot in the Bowl Championship Series is
problematic, and he suggested the momentum to build super conferences is
building.
"If one accepts the notion that the direction seems to be in the super
conference direction," Crouthamel said, "then we would be remiss if we didn't
try to position ourselves, as an institution, in that mix. If we're not in that
mix, we believe we run some serious risks for the future stability of our
program."
Crouthamel said his department has been through plenty of change with the
creation of the Big East in the past. He seemed to be setting the stage for more
change in the coming days.
"I fully expect that if this all happens, we all go through a period of
transition," Crouthamel said. "We get through the notion that there is change
and we don't like change. Then we get along with our business."
No longer 'family' affair?
For some Big East coaches, breakup would be bad
BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
sdegnan@herald.com
Coach Jim Boeheim's Syracuse Orangemen won the national championship in men's
basketball early last month. But last weekend at Ponte Vedra Beach, he seemed
about as important as a 10-and-under coach in Anytown, USA.
''When you win a national championship, you usually have at least one year of
enjoyment,'' Boeheim said. ``I've had five weeks. I guess that's all I'm going
to get.''
Boeheim, in Florida with fellow coaches for the Big East Conference meetings,
learned just how much clout -- or more accurately, how little -- the Big East
basketball programs have in molding the opinions of school administrators
regarding the possible defection of Syracuse, Boston College and Miami to the
Atlantic Coast Conference.
Football is driving the decision that increasingly appears to point to
conference realignment, as athletic directors such as Jake Crouthamel of
Syracuse and Paul Dee of Miami continue to laud the benefits of a 12-team
superconference with a football conference title game.
''Football,'' said UM basketball coach Perry Clark, ``is the gorilla of college
athletics.''
Clark, like his UM cohorts, is in the unenviable position of having to face the
other Big East coaches should the Hurricanes leave the league.
''The hard part when you're here is to see how our decision affects everybody,''
he said. ``I'm sure some of it weighs on Paul.
``The Big East has been awfully good to us. If we stayed in the Big East,
believe me, that's competitive enough. Our football team is good, has been good
and will be good no matter where it plays. Certainly, it's a vehicle that allows
us the opportunity to have some choices. But once you have those choices, you
have to take into consideration the whole family, and I think that will be
done.''
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, who won a national title in 1999, is upset that
money could be the major factor in Miami's decision. The ACC paid out $9.7
million to each of its nine schools last season. It believes money would
increase with a league championship game in football and a more lucrative
television contract, starting with the 2006 season, when a new one is
negotiated.
Big East schools not targeted for expansion believe the TV contract will be
worth less because of hard economic times and less competition in the
marketplace. Their contract for football, which ends after the 2007 season, is
worth only $15 million a season. It was made before Miami's 2001 national
championship and would increase greatly in the next negotiations, Big East
proponents say.
''It's an awful reason [to leave],'' Calhoun said of the money issue. ``In
higher education, it shouldn't be the reason. With presidents, there's got to be
some integrity. There's got to be some loyalty. I hear many times that coaches
are greedy and hear that student-athletes leave and don't get their full
education. Yet, in turn, it seems to me that we're making a move that is not
exactly one based on integrity, loyalty, etc. It's based upon pure finances from
what I best understand.''
Should UM, Syracuse and Boston College defect, Big East athletic directors have
discussed the option of an umbrella plan proposed by former Big East founder and
commissioner Dave Gavitt. The plan would encompass an eight-team, all-sports
league. Three schools would be added -- Central Florida and Louisville are among
the possibilities -- as replacements.
The Big East basketball schools that don't play Division I-A football --
Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Providence and Seton Hall -- would join
current Big East basketball school Notre Dame and add two more schools to make
another eight-team basketball league under the same umbrella.
Among the schools mentioned to round out the eight: Marquette, DePaul, Dayton
and Xavier.
Teams within both basketball leagues would play a limited number of games
against one another, with a conference tournament probably involving all 16 and
culminating at Madison Square Garden.
Another option would be to send the six Catholic schools away to find another
home. Linda Bruno, the Atlantic 10 commissioner, said in a statement recently
``that should the landscape of college athletics change, the conference will
aggressively pursue adding institutions with outstanding basketball programs to
maintain the high national status the Atlantic 10 enjoys.''
UM's Clark, who said he didn't know ''all the parameters'' behind the upcoming
decision, apprehensively awaits the outcome.
''All of the [Big East] coaches get along very, very well,'' he said. ``We've
been together in a lot of tough situations, and there's a lot of caring we have
for each other. Right now, it's just a difficult time.''