Devvarman Advances in NCAA Singles Tournament
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/21/2008

TULSA, Okla. – Somdev Devvarman (Chennai, India) began his defense of his NCAA Singles Championship on Wednesday as play began at the 2008 NCAA Singles Tournament at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Devvarman topped Ryan Preston of Vanderbilt 6-1, 6-3 in the first round, tying a NCAA Tournament record in the process.

The victory was Devvarman’s 13th career NCAA Singles Tournament victory, tying the record for most in a career since the NCAA split the team and individual tournaments in 1977. He ties Matias Boeker of Georgia, the 2001 and 2002 NCAA Champion, with 13 wins in the event.

Devvarman jumped out to a quick 3-0 in the first set and cruised to take the first set 6-1. The second set was tighter, remaining on serve until 3-3 when Devvarman broke Preston’s serve. Devvarman held and broke Preston’s serve again to close out the 6-1, 6-3 win.

Two other Cavaliers were in action on Wednesday, both falling in three sets.

Treat Huey (Alexandria,Va.) played No. 9-16 seed Ivan Bjelica of Mississippi State, the No. 12 ranked player in the nation. In the first set, Huey went up a break midway through the set and retained the advantage to take the opening set 6-4. In the second set, it was Bjelica that went up a break midway through the set to take even the match by taking the set 6-3. In the final set Bjelica went up an early break but Huey broke back to even the set at 4-4. However, Bjelica broke back in the following game and held in the next to win the set 6-4 and take the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Huey ends his Cavalier singles career with 129 career wins, second most in history behind Devvarman.

Dominic Inglot (London, England), seeded 9-16, met No. 19 ranked Justin Kronauge of Ohio State in the only first round matchup of two top-20 players. Kronauge opened the match strong, taking the opening set 6-1. In the second set, Inglot opened up a 2-0 lead only to have Kronauge tie it at 2-2. The set remained on serve until 4-4 when Inglot broke Kronauge and followed with a service hold to take the second set 6-4. Neither player could break serve in the final set and the match came down to a tiebreaker. With the tiebreaker tied at 2-2, Kronauge won the next five points to take the tiebreaker and the match, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (2).

Play in the NCAA Individual Championships will continue on Thursday in Tulsa. Devvarman will play the winner of the match between Andrei Deascu of Oklahoma and Clancy Shields of Boise State. Doubles play opens on Thursday with top-seeded Devvarman and Huey playing Dan Buikema and Mathieu Thibaudeau of Alabama.
 

U.VA. NOTES
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 12:06 AM 

Baseball
The 64-team field for the NCAA baseball tournament will be announced Monday afternoon. Brian O'Connor expects Virginia to be one of those teams.

"I don't really think we're a bubble team," O'Connor, U.Va.'s fifth-year coach, said Monday.

Even so, a win or two in Jacksonville, Fla., where the ACC tournament begins today, would not hurt the Cavaliers' case. Virginia, which went 15-15 in ACC play during the regular season, is 36-19 overall, with a solid RPI. The Wahoos are seeded sixth in the eight-team ACC tourney, where they're guaranteed three games, starting tonight against North Carolina.

The five teams seeded higher than U.Va. -- No. 1 Miami, No. 2 Florida State, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 N.C. State and No. 5 Georgia Tech -- are locks to make the NCAA tourney, O'Connor said. Carolina, in fact, could be the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAAs. In the latest Baseball America national rankings, UNC is No. 1, Miami No. 3 and FSU No. 4.

Virginia is bidding for its fifth straight trip to the NCAA tournament. In three of O'Connor's first four seasons, U.Va. was awarded an NCAA regional.

"Maybe we haven't had the success that we've had in the last two or three years, " O'Connor said, "but we're still the No. 6 team in the No. 1 league in the country."

Men's tennis
U.Va.'s Somdev Devvarman, the No. 1 seed, begins defense of his singles title today at the NCAA men's tennis tournament in Tulsa, Okla. Devvarman and partner Treat Huey are seeded No. 1 in NCAA doubles.

What Devvarman wanted most this season, however, was to help Virginia win the NCAA team title. The top-seeded and previously unbeaten Cavaliers were ousted Monday night by defending NCAA champion Georgia 4-3 in the semifinals.

The match was decided at No. 4 singles. In 90-degree heat, Virginia's Sanam Singh won the first set but began cramping with the score 3-3 in the second, and his condition worsened. Singh lost the second set 6-3 and the third 6-0. Coach Brian Boland's Cavaliers finished 32-1.

"Our record speaks for itself," Devvarman said after the match. "It was a special year. This obviously wasn't where we wanted it to end, but this is how it is."

Men's lacrosse
U.Va. men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia sent a sympathetic e-mail to Boland yesterday morning. Starsia knows well the disappointment of losing on a big stage.

Under Starsia, the Cavaliers lost twice in the NCAA championship game -- in overtime each time -- before winning the title in 1999. Starsia has since added two more NCAA crowns (2003 and'06).

"Only the people that have been in the middle of this can possibly understand how hard it is to win a championship," Starsia said.

His second-seeded Cavaliers meet third-seeded Syracuse in the NCAA semifinals Saturday at noon in Foxborough, Mass. Top-seeded Duke and fifth-seeded Johns Hopkins will follow in the second semifinal. Hopkins beat Duke for the NCAA title last year.

"I think the four best teams are in Foxborough," Starsia said, "and I think you've just got two really, really intriguing match-ups, certainly for folks that might be looking at lacrosse for the first time.

"I'm not patting us on the back, but getting an opportunity to watch Syracuse and Virginia get up and down the field and get after each other the way that they traditionally do is a good way to introduce someone to the game. And I certainly also think that the Duke-Hopkins game is going to be a terrific ballgame."

Men's basketball
Assistant men's basketball coach Bill Courtney is staying at U.Va. Courtney, a former Bucknell star, was a finalist in his alma mater's search for a replacement for Pat Flannery, but the job will go to Williams College head coach Dave Paulsen.

Courtney, 38, is heading into his third season on Virginia coach Dave Leitao's staff. -- Jeff White
 

NCAA Semifinals: Virginia’s Bud Petit making most of his final chance
May 21st, 2008 by Terry Foy
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Virginia’s Bud Petit (David Petkofsky)After the postgame press conference at Saturday’s quarterfinal win over Maryland, Virginia goalie Bud Petit wasn’t about to go to the stands and watch Hopkins-Navy, a potential championship game opponent.

“Are you kidding me,” he said. “I’m going to sleep.”

You think he might be afraid of waking up from this dream season.

Much has been made of the fifth-year senior’s perseverance and tenacity to stick it out in Charlottesville after spending most of his career waiting in the wings for his chance to play.

“Though I’ve never been his position of not playing, some of my best friends on the team have,” star attackman Ben Rubeor said. “We’re pretty close. He confided in me when he was considering things over the last few years, so I understand where he’s coming from.”

One thing is for sure - it’s not an easy place to have been. Since coming to Charlottesville the fall after Tillman Johnson’s epic NCAA title game performance in 2003, the former U-19 goalie and standout at the Collegiate School in Richmond, Va., has tried to distinguish himself as the man for the Cavaliers.

For three seasons that meant battling it out with classmate Kip Turner, an MLL goalie whose resume now includes an undefeated national championship run in 2006.

Then, after returning for a fifth year, Petit and freshman Adam Ghitelman found themselves in a heated fall competition for the starting spot. For the first 10 games of the year, the fifth-rated recruit out of Cold Spring Harbor held down the position, but struggling to put up numbers that coach Dom Starsia expected, the Cavs made the midseason switch to Petit and haven’t looked back.

Of the competition, Rubeor said, “I think goalie is the position where you have to go with who’s playing the best. In the fall, that meant Adam. But now, it’s Bud’s job and that’s where our confidence is.”

In Virginia’s last seven games, a stretch run that has included Duke and Maryland twice, Petit has stopped nearly 55% of the shots he’s faced and allowed just over nine goals per game, nearly one goal less than what the Cavs allowed through the first half of the season.

And all of the success heading into championship weekend was capped in last Saturday’s win over the Terps, an overtime affair in which Petit managed to throw himself in front of 14 shots and stymie the young offense in the second half.

Those glowing numbers weren’t quite enough to put Petit at ease after 60 minutes, however. Heading into overtime, he says he was heaving on the sidelines, a combination of nerves and dehydration that, despite the Terps’ possessing the ball for the first two minutes of overtime, never led to a shot on goal.

No matter for Petit because he’s not out for glory at this point. At 6-4, 195 pounds, he looks more like he’d fit in as a swingman on the hardwood than a keeper for one of the nation’s top teams, yet this weekend in Boston that’s exactly how you’ll see him. And whether he follows in Johnson’s footsteps and strings together amazing save after amazing save or not, he’ll finally be able to rest easy as long as he heads home with some hardware.

Baseball Wins Game of Rallies, Tops No. 1 UNC in 11
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 05/22/2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After battling No. 1 North Carolina into the wee hours of Thursday morning, Virginia earned a wild 8-7 win in 11 innings in the teams’ opening game of the 2008 ACC Baseball Championship at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The Tar Heels are the tournament’s No. 3 seed, while Virginia owns the No. 6 seed.

Virginia trailed 4-3 heading to the ninth inning but rallied for two runs. North Carolina tied the game with two out in the bottom of the ninth, and the teams then exchanged runs in the 10th inning. The Cavaliers scored twice in the top of the 11th inning and UNC scored once in the bottom of the frame before leaving the bases loaded when John Barr (Fr., Ivyland, Pa.) made a diving catch on Chad Flack’s shallow fly ball.

The game lasted three hours, 40 minutes, ended at 1:26 a.m. and was the longest Virginia ACC tournament game by innings since 1983.

Barr led the Cavaliers’ offense with two hits, three runs scored and two stolen bases, while David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) snapped out of his recent slump with two key singles. Phil Gosselin (Fr., Ivyland, Pa.) added two RBI. Flack had three hits, including a 10th-inning home run, to pace the Tar Heels’ 15-hit night.

Virginia (37-19) recorded four stolen bases, as it set a school single-season record with 129 steals. It tops the 2007 mark of 128. Greg Miclat (Jr., Concord, N.C.) stole his 83rd career base to tie David Stone (1999-2002) for tops on the Virginia career stolen bases ledger.

Michael Schwimer (Sr., Alexandria, Va.) earned the win for Virginia and improved to 3-1 after pitching three innings. He allowed three earned runs, five hits and two walks while striking out five. North Carolina reliever Colin Bates (6-1) pitched the final 1.1 innings and gave up two earned runs, one hits and two walks.

Andrew Carraway (Jr., Marietta, Ga.) started for the Cavaliers and pitched into the sixth inning. He threw five innings, allowing four earned runs and eight hits while striking out seven and not walking a batter. Matt Packer (So., Germantown, Tenn.) threw three scoreless innings of relief for the Cavaliers.

Reigning ACC Pitcher of the Year Alex White shook off a slow start to pitch seven innings for North Carolina (45-11). He allowed three runs (one earned) and three hits while walking four and striking out 11. White retired the last 10 batters he faced.

The Cavaliers got off to a quick start with two first-inning runs on a Gosselin double to score Patrick Wingfield (Sr., Winchester, Va.) and Jeremy Farrell (Jr., Westlake, Ohio).

UVa manufactured another score in the second inning. Barr led off with a single and moved up on a groundout. He advanced to third on a Miclat single. Wingfield then struck out with Miclat running, and as Miclat stole second, Barr sprinted home and beat the throw to give Virginia a 3-0 lead.

North Carolina shaved two runs off the lead in its half of the second. With one out, Kyle Seager and Tim Federowicz connected on back-to-back doubles. Federowicz moved up on a wild pitch and scored on a Carraway balk.

The Tar Heels evened the score in the fifth inning on a Seth Williams solo home run. UNC then put runners on first and third with one out, but Carraway struck out Ben Bunting and induced Tim Fedroff to ground out to end the threat.

North Carolina took the lead in the sixth inning. Flack led off with a double to end Carraway’s evening. Packer entered and after a Seager sacrifice, Federowicz lined a single through the drawn-in infield to give the Tar Heels their first lead, 4-3.

Virginia scored twice in the ninth inning against North Carolina reliever Rob Wooten to take a 5-4 lead. Gosselin led off with a walk and Jarrett Parker (Fr., Stafford, Va.) came on to pinch run. Franco Valdes (So., Miami, Fla.) bunted Parker to second and Parker then scored on a Barr single to center. Barr stole second, moved to third on an errant throw and scored on a Tyler Cannon (So., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) groundout.

North Carolina staged a late rally off Schwimer, getting a two-out single from Garrett Gore, who moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Dustin Ackley triple to right-center.

Virginia scored once in the 10th inning. Adams hit a one-out single and stole second on the next pitch. After an intentional walk to Farrell, Dan Grovatt (Fr., Tabernacle, N.J.) ripped a single to center to plate Adams.

Once again, the Tar Heels came up with a game-tying run, as Flack homered off Schwimer in the bottom of the 10th. It marked the first long ball Schwimer has allowed all season.

Virginia posted two in the 11th inning. With two out, Barr scored on a Bates wild pitch. Adams followed with a single to score David Coleman (Fr., Richmond, Va.) and give UVa an 8-6 lead.

UNC promptly put the first two batters on in the bottom of the 11th. After a sacrifice bunt, Ackley was intentionally walked to load the bases. Fedroff followed with a single up the middle, but Adams made a sprawling stop to keep the ball on the infield and limit the damage to just one run. Schwimer then got Flack to hit a blooper to center and Barr made a diving catch to end the game.

Virginia has an off day in the tournament Thursday before returning to play No. 2-seed Florida State at 5 p.m. Friday. The Cavaliers also will play No. 7-seed Wake Forest at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday.


 

Virginia upsets top-ranked UNC in 11 innings
By Jay Jenkins
Published: May 22, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - It was one for the ages - especially the younger ones.
In miraculous fashion, Virginia upset the nation’s No. 1 ranked team to send a tremor through the college baseball world. Well, at least with those that were still awake.
Earlier today at 1:25 a.m., rookie centerfielder John Barr made a game-saving head-first diving catch in the 11th inning to secure Virginia’s 8-7 victory over North Carolina in the ACC tournament at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
The win for Virginia (37-19) came in improbable come-from-behind fashion as it included scoring in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings and two blown saves. In fact, it marked the first time in 13 tries that the Cavaliers mounted a rally to win a game which they had trailed after eight innings.
“I tell you I couldn’t be more proud of our team,” said Virginia coach Brian O’Connor. “We’re 56 games into the season and hopefully they’ve started to figure out what it takes to beat a No. 1 team in the country.”
It was the first loss for North Carolina (45-11) since the program beat Miami last weekend in a series and claimed the No. 1 spot in each of the national polls. The Tar Heels certainly had a chance to avoid the upset.
Entering the ninth inning, UNC led 4-3 but reliever Rob Wooten opened the frame by walking Virginia rookie Phil Gosselin. After O’Connor inserted Jarrett Parker as a pinch-runner, catcher Franco Valdes advanced the runner with a sacrifice bunt. Barr, who finished 2 for 4 with three runs, drove in Parker moments later with a single to center, promptly stole second and scampered to third when the throw sailed into the outfield. Barr gave UVa a 5-4 lead when he scored on an RBI groundout by sophomore Tyler Cannon.
UNC mounted its own rally in the ninth - the Tar Heels scored off Virginia reliever Michael Schwimer after Garrett Gore delievered a two-out single and scoring on Dustin Ackley’s triple to right-center.
Both teams scored lone runs in the 10th, which included a solo homer by UNC’s Chad Flack off Schwimer.
In the 11th, the Cavaliers scored twice as Barr scored on a two-out wild pitch and David Adams slapped an RBI single into center. Schwimer (3-1) allowed a lone run in the 11th before getting Flack to hit a bases-loaded blooper that landed in Barr’s glove to end the contest.
For the game, UNC outhit Virginia, 15-7, and had seven extra-base hits, but committed the game’s two errors, one of which allowed the Cavaliers to score a pair of unearned runs in the first inning.
“We lost that game in the first inning,” said UNC coach Mike Fox. “We had to climb out of a hole right out of the gate. It was an awful start, the worst possible way we wanted to start the game - walks and errors. When we do that, we generally don’t win.”
The win evens the season series between the two teams and likely secures Virginia’s spot in the NCAA tournament, something national baseball pundits debated before the contest started. O’Connor, however, was certain his team was in regardless.
“I told the team that we didn’t have to win a game to make it into the NCAA tournament,” the skipper said. “I really believe that because if the University of Virginia, the sixth-place team in the No. 1 league in the country doesn’t get in the NCAA tournament, then there’s something wrong with that.
“I’ve never talked about it to our team, I’ve always talked about playing the game the right way, playing hard and competing, and I knew if we did that then we’d be playing in the NCAA tournament.”
UVa will return to action on Friday at 5 p.m. against Florida State in what could ultimately be the impromptu title game in Division B of the tournament’s pool-play format.

 

Heels out of miracles
Jamey Givens, Correspondent

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. - As if North Carolina's opening-round game against Virginia at the Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament that pushed into the early morning hours Thursday needed any more drama, it was provided anyway.
Virginia scored two runs in the top of the 11th, and North Carolina finally ran out of answers.

John Barr's catch in center field robbed UNC third baseman Chad Flack of a winning hit, preserving Virginia's 8-7 upset win and damaging the Tar Heels' chances of defending their ACC tournament championship.

Trailing by two, the Tar Heels loaded the bases in the bottom half of the 11th and climbed within one on Tim Fedroff's infield single.

Flack swung at the first pitch and looped it into center field where Barr's sliding catch ended the back-and-forth game.

Barr walked and scored a run scored on a wild pitch for UVa in the top half of the 11th, and David Adams drove home David Coleman for what turned out to be the winning run. The Tar Heels were unable to extend the game as they had in the ninth and 10th.

North Carolina overcame a blown save in the top of the ninth by Rob Wooten as Dustin Ackley tripled home Garrett Gore to tie the score and send it to extra innings. After UVa scored again in the top of the 10th to take a one-run lead, Flack's homer in the bottom of the 10th tied the score again and gave the Tar Heels new life.

North Carolina was in control heading into the ninth, but Virginia took advantage of a leadoff walk and a North Carolina error to score two runs to take a 5-4 lead.

Wooten entered the game in the eighth and breezed through the side in order. In the ninth, however, he ran into some problems. Phil Gosselin led the inning off with a walk and then moved over to second on Franco Valdes' sacrifice bunt. Barr's base hit up the middle scored Gosselin to tie the score.

When Barr attempted to steal second, Carolina catcher Tim Federowicz's throw skipped into center field and Barr advanced to third. Gore slipped as he fielded Tyler Cannon's grounder at second base, and his only choice was to throw to first to get the out, allowing Barr to score the game winning run from third.

After allowing three runs in the first two innings, UNC starting pitcher Alex White settled down and was dominant. He retired the last 10 Virginia hitters he faced, and his 11 strikeouts tied a career high. White allowed only two base runners after the second inning, and he bought enough time for the Carolina bats to warm up.

Flack led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to the right- field corner, and Kyle Seagar bunted him over to third. Federowicz singled through a drawn-in infield to drive home Flack and give the Tar Heels a 4-3 lead.

 

Agorsor picking Cavaliers over pros
May 20, 2008 3:00 AM (2 days ago) by Sean Welsh, The Examiner

McDonogh standout Chris Agorsor has opted to put a potentially lucrative professional career on hold and is planning on attending and playing for the University of Virginia. — Arianne Starnes/Examiner
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Filed under: BALTIMORE , Sean Welsh , SOCCER

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Europe’s loss is Virginia’s gain, for now.

McDonogh senior Chris Agorsor, the 2007 Examiner soccer player of the year and the subject of numerous professional offers from European clubs, has decided to honor his commitment to the University of Virginia.

“I definitely took a long time to think about stuff,” Agorsor said. “As far as professionals go, there hasn’t been an opportunity that has jumped out at me and blows Virginia out of the water.”

Agorsor, who combined his junior and senior academic schedules into one, and will graduate June 6.

Colombian paramilitary member appears in US court He scored 24 goals with eight assists in 15 games last season, and also spent time with the U-20 U.S. National Team as a 17-year-old. He’ll play this July with the national team, and starts official camp with Virginia in August. The Cavaliers went 12-8 in 2007.

Agorsor, who was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National High School Player of the Year, is considered coach George Gelnovatch’s top recruit.

“I think to not get a taste of that Virginia life would be unfortunate,” Agorsor said. “It’s something I’m looking forward to.”

 

No magic involved in Orange's '08 act
Defensive work, recommitment guide reversal
By Edward Lee | Sun Reporter
May 21, 2008
 

Dan Hardy has grown a little tired of talking.

Not the act itself. Hardy, a junior midfielder for the Syracuse men's lacrosse team, is eloquent and doesn't mind meeting with reporters.

But when it comes to a rehash of the Orange's disastrous 2007 season, he isn't effusive.

"Last year is over," Hardy said, in the style of former New York Yankees great Yogi Berra. "We're moving on. This is a new year."

Coach John Desko took a more deadpan approach when asked about the difference between the previous and current seasons. "About eight wins," he said.

And yet it's difficult to ignore the reversal the Orange is enjoying this spring. Syracuse (14-2), the third seed in the NCAA tournament, will meet second seed Virginia (14-3) in a semifinal Saturday at noon at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

If the Orange - which is 14-10 when reaching the final four - can get past the Cavaliers, it will meet the winner of top seed Duke (18-1) and fifth seed Johns Hopkins (10-5) in the championship game Monday at 1 p.m.

That Syracuse is just two victories away from capturing its ninth national title (the 1990 crown was vacated by the NCAA because of violations) is a remarkable departure from last season.

Last spring, the Orange lost six of its first nine games en route to compiling a 5-8 record and failing to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1982.

A variety of factors played a role in the team's first losing season since 1975.

Perhaps the most significant problem was a porous defense that surrendered 11.4 goals per game. The last time Syracuse had been that generous to opponents was 1997, when opposing team averaged 11.9 goals.

During the offseason, Desko shook up his coaching staff, moving defensive coordinator Roy Simmons III to offense and making director of lacrosse operations Leland Rogers the defensive coordinator.

The addition of Rogers, Onondaga Community College transfer Sid Smith and freshman goalkeeper John Galloway has revitalized the defense, which is giving up just 7.3 goals per game - the unit's best mark since 1970, when opponents averaged 7.0 goals against the Orange.

"I think last year, they had a lot of schemes, a lot of different slide packages and sometimes that can be more confusing to the defense than it is actually to the people you're playing against," ESPN analyst and former Army coach Jack Emmer said.

"I think they've simplified that this year and just gotten better execution. ... The additions of Sid Smith and John Galloway along with a different approach have really made a big difference."

Syracuse has also avoided injuries and the off-field controversies that hampered last year's squad.

Senior midfielder Steven Brooks, who struggled with knee and back injuries last season, is third on the team in goals (27) and points (38).

Junior midfielder Pat Perritt, who left the team last season after his arrest related to an off-campus altercation, is the ninth Orange player to score at least 10 goals.

With the team intact, the players threw themselves into an offseason conditioning program and rededicated themselves.

"We came back this fall ready to go right from the start," said senior attackman Mike Leveille, a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy who leads the team in goals (43), assists (30) and points (73).

"We put in the hard work, saying that it would pay off. Now that it finally has, it feels great."

But Syracuse can't rest yet. One of its two losses came at the hands of Virginia, which edged the Orange, 14-13, in overtime in the Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium on March 1.

"We're not satisfied yet," Leveille said. "We're going to get back to work this week and shoot for two more."

 

ACC ties to NBA miss Va.
David Teel
May 22, 2008
 

Watching Game 7 of the Hornets-Spurs playoff series Monday, I couldn't help but think of the recent riches the ACC has sent to the NBA.

Except from Virginia Tech and, to a lesser degree, the University of Virginia.

There were two Wake Forest products, New Orleans guard Chris Paul and San Antonio forward Tim Duncan, center stage. Duncan is a cinch hall of famer, a two-time league most valuable player with four championship rings; Paul is an emerging star, runner-up to Kobe Bryant in this season's MVP balloting.

Remember Duncan leading the Deacons to consecutive ACC tournament championships in 1995 and '96, their first in 34 years? Recall Paul earning first-team All-America honors as a sophomore in 2005?

According to the NBA's online rosters, Duncan and Paul are among 51 ACC alums who played in the league this season. Not surprisingly, conference kingpins Duke (12) and North Carolina (10) lead the pack.

Virginia Tech is the only ACC program without a current NBA player. Virginia (Roger Mason) and Clemson (Greg Buckner) have one apiece.

That can't help recruiting during a time in which most pubescent jump-shooters fancy themselves the next Jordan and consider college a pipeline to the pros. But it does speak to the positive reconstruction efforts of Hokies coach Seth Greenberg and his Cavaliers counterpart, Dave Leitao.

Not that either has his program entrenched among the elite or atop the wish list of top-flight recruits.

The Cavaliers have earned one NCAA tournament invite in Leitao's three seasons, the Hokies one in Greenberg's five. And both struggle to recruit, even in-state.

Last weekend, touted post player DeShawn Painter of Norfolk declined scholarship offers from Tech and Virginia and pledged to attend two-time national champion Florida. Ed Davis of Richmond, the son of former NBA player Terry Davis, also turned down the Cavaliers and Hokies, and next season he's ticketed for North Carolina.

Greenberg's and Leitao's jobs would be much easier had they significant NBA heritage to sell.

"I think (rivals) kill us on it," Greenberg said.

The Hokies haven't had an NBA player since Bimbo Coles' 14-year career ended in 2004, and Dell Curry is the program's only other league player this decade. The next Tech alum named to the NBA All-Star Game will be the first.

The only Cavalier to make the All-Star Game was Ralph Sampson, a four-time selection from 1984-87 — he was the event's MVP in '85. Mason, the sole active Cavalier in the NBA, averaged 9.1 points per game this season as a Washington Wizards reserve.

Actually, Virginia is better represented among NBA head coaches with Dallas' Rick Carlisle and Memphis' Marc Iavaroni. Only Indiana University has more, with New Jersey's Lawrence Frank, Minnesota's Randy Wittman and Atlanta's Mike Woodson.

But the guess is that today's recruits don't know any NBA coaches not named Phil Jackson (North Dakota State '67). So if you want to impress NBA-obsessed high school kids, you're advised to have NBA players.

The ACC's impact is NBA-wide. Only the Lakers, Nuggets and Bucks don't have at least one conference alum on the roster, and those teams have ACC connections elsewhere: Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, Nuggets coach George Karl and Bucks assistant coach Joe Wolf are North Carolina grads.

The most ACC-centric NBA team is Portland, with five players and head coach Nate McMillan of North Carolina State.

"There are teams in our league that say, 'We put this many guys in the NBA,' " Greenberg said. "But those guys came in as pros. …

"There's a difference between recruiting a pro and developing a pro. We think we can develop pros."

Indeed, neither Tech nor Virginia ever has had a player such as North Carolina's Marvin Williams, Duke's Luol Deng or Georgia Tech's Thaddeus Young, each of whom remained in college for only one season before cashing in. And the Cavaliers and Hokies may soon expand their NBA presence.

Virginia senior All-American Sean Singletary figures to make a roster next season, and Virginia Tech senior Deron Washington will merit a look. Hokies junior A.D.Vassallo and freshmen Jeff Allen and Malcolm Delaney certainly have pro potential.

"I think we have four-year guys who can beat those one- and two-year guys," Greenberg said.

But don't believe for a minute that he, or Leitao for that matter, wouldn't mind the occasional role-reversal.