Virginia coach Bennett quick to address tempo
The new UVa basketball coach tells boosters that he can do more than just run deliberate offenses.
By Ed Miller
The {Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot

SUFFOLK, Va. -- Tony Bennett is not boring and he has the videotape to prove it.

Bennett has been Virginia's men's basketball coach for five weeks now. One of his first orders of business when he took over April 1 was to secure the services of the Cavaliers' incoming recruits, including highly regarded Tristan Spurlock, a small forward from Springfield.

Spurlock, signed by former coach Dave Leitao, had heard some things about the offense Bennett ran at Washington State. That it was patterned. Old School.

A bit stifling, perhaps, to the freedom-loving sensibilities of the modern player.

Bennett rolled the tape. He explained that he would be bringing some of the motion offense concepts he used at Washington State to Virginia. But he also said he'd be adapting the scheme to the talent on hand in Charlottesville.

"I showed him some things, some situations, so he'd get a feel that there is some freedom," Bennett said Tuesday. "I think he was like: 'Oh, that's not what I've been hearing.'"

Spurlock bought in. He's coming to Virginia. Point guard Jontel Evans of Bethel High also stuck by his decision. They'll be playing for a coach whose teams led the nation in scoring defense last year, in part as a result of their deliberate style.

You know, the style Bennett often finds himself having to defend.

"Your style," he said. "Has got to be about trying to win."

Bennett won at Washington State, reaching two NCAA tournaments in three years, and advancing to the Sweet 16 two years ago. He was a surprise pick to succeed Leitao, coming from across the country to the ACC.

He's had a whirlwind five weeks, assembling a staff that's balanced between coaches familiar with the school and the state, and those familiar with him.

He's made the rounds around the state, paying his respects to the AAU power brokers and meeting as many high school coaches as possible. He's been on the spring fundraising circuit, speaking to boosters Tuesday in Suffolk. He'll be in Virginia Beach tonight.

As for actual coaching, Bennett's contact with Virginia's players has been limited, per NCAA regulations on off-season contact between coaches and athletes. His initial impressions, though, are positive.

"It's a hard-working group," he said. "And they seem to be hungry. When you don't have to coach effort, that's a good place to start."

Virginia's fans, hungry for a winner, turned out to listen to Bennett Tuesday, and seemed to be hanging on every word.

No videotape required.
 

Small ball has been swatted away at U.Va.
By Jeff White
Published: May 6, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE Brian O'Connor noticed the difference during fall practice. Balls that in years past might have dropped for doubles or triples -- or been long flyouts -- were clearing the fences at spacious Davenport Field.

In each of O'Connor's first five seasons as University of Virginia baseball coach, his team advanced to the NCAA tournament. Until this season, however, the Cavaliers never had hit more than 35 home runs under O'Connor, and twice they'd hit only 25.

O'Connor is a "small-ball" proponent who still stresses pitching and defense and aggressive base-running. But with seven regular-season games left, then at least three in the ACC tournament and more likely to follow in the NCAA tourney, the 38-year-old skipper finds himself leading a team that has hit 39 homers.

"I don't think he's really said that we're going to go up and try to hit home runs," sophomore outfielder Jarrett Parker said. "I think it's just something that happened."

The Cavaliers' power surge has mirrored that of Parker's. A season ago, when he carried 185 pounds on his 6-4 frame, he batted .264. Of his 39 hits, 32 were singles, and the others did not include a home run.

Look at Parker now. After adding 20 pounds of muscle during an offseason of lifting and eating and lifting some more, the Colonial Forge graduate has become one of the ACC's most feared hitters. He's batting .383 with 13 home runs, 16 doubles and five triples for 13th-ranked Virginia (13-8-1 ACC, 35-9-1 overall).

"It's pretty amazing," O'Connor said. "I thought the guy would really be a difference-maker after watching him in the [fall], but to predict that he's going to hit 13 home runs at this point, I don't think anybody knew that ... It just goes to show what a kid can do if he puts his mind to something."

Three other Cavaliers -- sophomores Phil Gosselin and Dan Grovatt and freshman Steven Proscia -- have hit five homers apiece. Junior Franco Valdes has four home runs, and freshman John Hicks, a Goochland graduate, has three.

In 2008, by contrast, the Cavaliers totaled only 25 homers (compared to 106 and 103, respectively, for ACC rivals Miami and Florida State). Grovatt had three, and Gosselin and Valdes had two each last year.

"I think it's a combination of a few things," Gosselin said of U.Va.'s increased production. "Everybody on the team's really worked hard in the weight room, and a lot of it's just confidence."

Their improvement notwithstanding, the Wahoos have not morphed into the Sultans of Swat. U.Va. leads the ACC with a .342 batting average and is second in triples and fourth in doubles, but it's the only team in the league that has not hit at least 40 homers.

Davenport Field's dimensions -- 335 feet down the lines, 377 in the gaps and 408 in center -- make it unlikely that U.Va. will ever top the ACC in home runs. Still, the newfound pop in his players' bats has allowed O'Connor to coach differently.

"There's more guys throughout the lineup that have a chance to hit the ball out of the ballpark," he said. "Whereas in the past maybe we had three or four, we now have six or seven. And also, too, from an offensive standpoint, we've let guys swing away a lot more, rather than trying to manufacture runs through a bunt and things like that."

As usual, U.Va.'s pitching has been superb. The Cavaliers' collective earned-run average 3.10 is the ACC's lowest. Virginia also leads the league in stolen bases, and only Duke has made fewer errors than O'Connor's club.

"In our nine losses, we've had a chance to win every game," O'Connor said. "We have been in absolutely every ball game, and that is really rare, because at some point in your first 45 games, you're going to get beat 11-2, and that hasn't happened to us all year.

"And I think that's for two reasons: We've had consistent pitching, but I also think we're having our best offensive year, so we're always in the ball game. Nobody's dominated us on the mound. And I think that's because we've been able to hit a few more home runs, and we've been able to have a few more big innings, rather than playing for one run in an inning."

 

10 Things I Learned ... Spring 2009
By JHoo
TheSabre.com
May 05, 2009

It was good to see the return of Jameel Sewell, Darnell Carter, and Chris Cook this spring.

The Spring Game is in the rearview mirror ... and yet the start of the football season is not that far away, even less so when you think about the players still working out on a daily basis, the summer get-togethers starting right around the corner, and camp being just a matter of months away. But before we go forward, let's look back and see what - if anything - we learned this spring.

1. Was Anything Learned? As I sit down to write this column, one thing strikes me as a major problem with which I am going to have to deal: the title of the column. "10 Things I Learned ..." fits for the postgame columns that I write, and it fits for a lot of other columns that I do from time to time. But does it fit for a post-spring breakdown? Some years, yes. This year, I am not so sure.

The problem with talking about what I "learned" this spring is that frankly speaking, there was only so much to learn. When you stop to think about it, that is not surprising: you have a staff that has been completely overhauled, with both coordinators having been replaced, brand new coaches arriving and previously departed coaches returning, current coaches jumping from one unit to another, a new strength and conditioning coach joining the program, and so on and so on and so on. You have the new offensive coordinator introducing an entirely new offense - and I don't care what the head coach says, this is "entirely new" as long as Brandon gets to be Brandon - and a defense that still has Coach Groh in charge but has to deal with significant personnel changes (particularly with regard to the linebackers). Key players used up their eligibility, key players returned from time away from the program, a key player unexpectedly made himself eligible for the NFL Draft, key players missed spring practices due to injuries and so on and so on ...

You would think that with so many changes, there would be plenty to "learn" during the spring of 2009. But the reality is that this spring was a "getting to know you" period in a lot of ways. Coaches getting to know each other, players getting to know coaches, coaches getting to know players, players getting to know new systems, players getting to learn new roles or positions ... think of it this way: there probably were plenty of times this spring when a strip of tape on a helmet with a player's name on it would have been helpful to a new coach.

That is not to say that there was nothing to learn (if that was the case, this would be a very short column ... and have I ever written a very short column?). But if anyone was looking for next year's "answers" in this spring's performances, they probably will be left wanting.

Vic Hall likely will be an early option at QB.

2. Quarterback Quandary. As expected, no position generated more discussion this spring than the quarterbacks. As expected, four quarterbacks got extended reps this spring. As expected, no quarterback so clearly outperformed the others that this fall's starter now is obvious. And yet, quite a few people close to the program think they have the situation figured out.

In short, I think it is fair to say that there is a strong sentiment that one way or another, Al Groh is going to peg Vic Hall as next year's starting quarterback. I think there also is a pretty strong sentiment that Jameel Sewell will find his way onto the field more than just occasionally.

Personally, I share those sentiments: I, too, think that Vic Hall is likely to be tabbed as the opening day starter and I think we will see more than just a little of Jameel Sewell on the field this year. My problem is that I am not sure we should be at that point yet. By the time the spring was finished, I really had not learned much about the quarterbacks that I did not already know. Vic Hall, for example, has an infectious presence on the field, he has enough arm to make all the throws in our offense, and he is a plus runner. But he is limited by his height and by rust. Jameel Sewell is a natural leader on the field, has a very strong arm, and is a plus runner. But he also is shaking off the rust and in an offense predicated on accurate short and intermediate passing, Sewell is the shakiest in terms of hitting his targets with consistency. Marc Verica has a good presence on the field, may be the most natural thrower among the quarterbacks in the contest, and is a better-than-thought runner. But he still throws passes here and there that make no sense and he is prone to random cold streaks. Riko Smalls looks like he has all the tools to be an explosive quarterback in this system, particularly with his strong arm and excellent running ability. But he is still learning his pace on the field, getting too fast in his actions at just the wrong moments.

So when I look at those four breakdowns and think back to what I saw over the course of the spring, it certainly does not look to me like Groh should be tabbing the frontrunners at this point in the process. But - and it is a big but - he may have to do so. I am very concerned about going into the early summer, much less camp, with the quarterback derby still a four horse race. With a brand new system being put in place, I think the first team offense needs as many reps together as it can get going into the season, and this team needs a leader on offense around which it can rally and build. Accepting that Riko Smalls probably is a year away from being ready for the spotlight, I look at Marc Verica, Jameel Sewell, and Vic Hall and see three quarterbacks that the team easily could rally around - we saw that last year with Verica when Peter Lalich was dismissed from the team, we saw that the prior year with Jameel Sewell, and by now I assume everyone understands how popular Vic Hall is with his teammates, and with good reason. But having three natural leaders does not help - and actually can hurt - when none of them have been anointed the leader of the offense. So despite the fact that I think it is tough to peg the leader in the quarterback competition based on on-the-field performances so far, count me among those that think the pecking order at quarterback is not all that far away from being clarified, formally or informally.

Javaris Brown's speed will help him earn time at receiver.

3. A Concern Alleviated. Going into the spring, I was concerned about the situation at wide receiver. Particularly with the unanticipated loss of Kevin Ogletree, I wondered if we had enough bodies - much less, the talent - in the program to fill our needs in the new spread offense.

Coming out of the spring, I do not have the same concern.

First, when it comes to receivers, I have always believed the one central question is whether the receiver can create separation from the defenders tasked with stopping the pass. That separation can be created by speed (the most obvious), by quickness (particularly coming out of cuts), by strength (outmuscling a nearby defender), or even by smarts (reading a zone and knowing where the holes are). But having now had the opportunity to view Brandon's offense in action, I am convinced that the system itself will do a better job than our old one of creating separation for whatever receivers we have on the field. Simply put, this offense is designed to spread out the defense and then at the snap, put tremendous pressure on defenders to quickly diagnose all that they see happening in front of them and make an immediate read on their responsibility. One or two defenders makes the wrong read - or if the right play is called against the wrong defense - and just like that, separation has been created by a gap in coverage. While the receiver and quarterback still have to make the right reads themselves and then execute, that always is the case, no matter what the offense. That does not change the fact that an opportunity has been created to complete a pass and that really is what separation is all about.

Of course, an opportunity is pointless if the offense does not have the receivers with the ability to capitalize on the opportunities. Again, the spring calmed some of my concerns in that regard. Javaris Brown has gotten plenty of press, for example, and for good reason: while he is not the biggest of receivers, he certainly has the chance to contribute early given his speed and presence. Jared Green is building on a decent rookie season and he certainly did not hurt himself this spring. Dontrelle Inman remains a physical talent that really, really, really needs to be used in a bigger way. Kris Burd has established himself in the rotation, and Matt Snyder certainly got himself in the discussion this spring, showing a great feel for the position to go along with better-than-generally-thought athleticism (Zach Mendez-Zfass has a chance to get into that discussion, too). Joe Torchia showed that he can contribute in a split role. Staton Jobe is back in the mix. Several running backs got reps out wide, with Raynard Horne showing enough that his audition has turned into a permanent switch. And Tim Smith and his classmates have not even arrived yet. In other words, the cupboard is not bare.

4. A Concern Remaining. While the cupboard is not bare on the offensive line either, I do not feel nearly as warm and fuzzy about that unit after the spring as I do about the receivers. On the flip side, I am not sure how pessimistic I should be either.

Admittedly, if I am just basing my analysis on this past spring, it is tough to judge the offensive line as a unit. Eugene Monroe, the leader of last year's line, was gone and another returning starter was out of action. With the new offense being put in place, the offensive linemen were forced to learn and play with a lot of different alignments - wider splits being the most obvious on many plays - and different techniques (or at least, tendencies). In other words, it was a time of transition, perhaps a tough time to judge what I was seeing. I do have a lot of confidence in the unit's coach, Dave Borbely, and there certainly are a lot of talented bodies in the mix. So maybe I shouldn't be worried. Maybe things are progressing and by the fall, everything will be in place for the unit to play as we need it to play. And yet ...

Simply put, there is something that makes me just a little bit uneasy about the line coming out of the spring. Will Barker, for example, is as physically talented a lineman as we have in the program but game to game, I just am not entirely sure what we are going to get out of him. B.J. Cabbell missed the spring and he is a lineman that I am not sure is going to adjust easily to the new tendencies in Brandon's offense. In other words, I think he really could have used this spring on the field. Anthony Mihota is a player that I still firmly believe is one of the five best in the program and yet he not only does not seem to have an obvious spot in the line-up but he also seems to be unable to get out of the doghouse (for reasons that baffle me). Landon Bradley is very talented but has to stay healthy. Lamar Milstead is making progress but still has to show that he can provide game reps. Matt Mihalik and Aaron Van Kuiken are talented but yet to prove themselves. Jack Shields has to show that he can take the next step and after just finishing his very first season on the field at center; he now must adjust to running the line in an offense with very different tendencies.

I really do not want to be pessimistic about the offensive line at this point. Objectively, there are reasons to think that with the natural progression you should see from some of the younger linemen, the 2009 season should be a better one for the line than the 2008 season. But if you are asking me whether the spring offered me proof that we are heading in that direction, "not yet" would have to be my answer.

5. Welcome Back. For a running back as talented as Mikell Simpson, the 2008 season was about as bad as it gets. Frankly, after his touchdown run against USC, it is hard to remember Simpson having very many meaningful moments the rest of the season, perhaps not surprising given that Simpson only surpassed 50 yards rushing in one game all season. In a way, missing the last three games of the 2008 season with an injury seemed an apropos ending for the miserable season that Mikell Simpson had. And going into the spring, I have to admit that I was worried that Simpson might not be a fit for Brandon's offense; after all, as good a fit as Simpson should be for the spread, he has not run all that well out of the spread in the past.

This spring, however, was a step back in the right direction for Simpson. A big step.

Brandon's offense forces the defense to play the entire width of the field and with the offensive line generally playing with wide splits, running lanes are going to exist, plain and simple. When Simpson is playing at his best, he is gliding while looking for a lane and once he finds that lane, making one cut and exploding up the lane. Last year, Simpson lost his feel for that style, in part because the lanes probably were not quite as clean as they had been the prior season and in part because he seems to struggle to find his rhythm splitting time with Cedric Peerman. This spring, however, Simpson seemed to have a nice rhythm to his game and seemed to recapture the style that worked so well for him in 2007 (I don't think it hurt at all that Jameel Sewell was back in the huddle this spring including - I don't think coincidentally - on Simpson's long touchdown run in the Spring Game).

Mikell Simpson is not without competition at the running back position, mind you, and there is no way that a guy like Torrey Mack (and others) will not be getting some snaps in 2009 as well. But after watching Simpson perform this spring, I am comfortable saying that he is back and that he can play and excel in Brandon's offense, and he is looking forward to the 2009 season.

6. Things I Liked This Spring.

Seeing Chad Wilt in the program again.
Getting comfortable with the fact that Brandon Hourigan is just as good as Mike London said he was.
The increased focus on special teams (at least, the non-kicking aspects) and the use of better athletes with certain of the units.
Knowing Aaron Clark would be back and ready to go in the fall.
Dom Joseph making progress (he is too good a player to get lost on the depth chart).
Will Hill

Javaris Brown running the end-around.
The hiring of Tony Bennett.
Watching John-Kevin Dolce's confidence continue to grow.
Seeing Will Hill practicing in the spring ... hopefully a sign of things to come.
Lamar Milstead regaining a little bit of the bounce in his step.
Seeing Chris Cook, Darnell Carter, and Jameel Sewell in orange and blue again.

7. Things I Didn't Like This Spring.

The inconsistency in the place-kicking game ("inconsistency" being the kindest word I can think to use).
Kevin Ogletree going undrafted.
Watching Vic Hall struggle at times to throw to the middle of the field.
Not getting to see more of Andrew Devlin, a young man who could be an important player in 2009.

8. Public Relations. Speaking of things I didn't like this spring, high on the list would be how Al Groh chose to handle fan outreach. In fact, if there was anything I learned this spring, it was that Al Groh still struggles to understand fan outreach.

Coming off a second losing season in the past three years, my strong opinion is that closing off spring practices was the wrong decision. Despite how the season ended, there still was some excitement in the fan base as a result of Vic Hall's emergence in the Virginia Tech game and the staff turnover after the season. Many a diehard fan was looking forward to seeing Gregg Brandon's offense in action, to seeing the quarterbacks perform on the practice field, to seeing favorites return to the program, and to seeing young players start to get more regular reps. But instead of giving those fans that opportunity, Groh decided to close spring practices to give his players the opportunity to focus without distraction, reasoning that carries little weight with me given how many visitors come and go at even "closed" practices. And given how much film exists on the offense Gregg Brandon has been running for years, I do not see much value in keeping that under wraps either.

Make no mistake about it, none of this probably matters much in the end. Right now, Al Groh's job security is directly tied - and almost solely tied - to how many games he wins this fall (and to a lesser extent, which games it is that he wins). By the end of the 2009 season, I doubt any fan is going to be making a decision to come or not come to a game based on what happened this past spring, and I doubt any fan's opinion of whether Groh should or should not be retained will be based on much of anything other than wins and losses. But to me, that does not change the fact that closing practice - more precisely, closing practices when some of those practices previously have been open - was the wrong move to make, an unnecessary step that made more than a couple fans feel a little more distant from the program.


Rodney McLeod

9. A Star In The Making. Sometimes I have to admit that I am wrong. Actually, my wife says I always have to admit that I am wrong ... but I digress. When this spring began, I was not exactly thrilled to see Rodney McLeod shifted from cornerback to safety. Now that the spring has passed, I am thrilled with the move. So was I wrong? Yes and no.

You see, my concern never was with the idea that Rodney McLeod could be a successful safety. After all, I have been pleading for years for Groh and the staff to slot and develop more centerfielder types at the safety position and McLeod certainly fits that bill: fast and quick, a nose for the ball, and a willingness to hit. So my concern never was with the idea of McLeod as a safety; it was the thought that there might be a better way to mix and match the returning defensive backs.

Personally, I would have moved Chris Cook to safety for his last year in the program. Of course, I would have slotted him there right out of high school so I cannot imagine it comes as a surprise to anyone that I would want to move him there this year. My thinking was simple - Cook has the skill set to play safety, he provided a nice size match with Corey Mosley, and slotting him at safety for the 2009 season would give the staff the time to develop the younger safeties on the depth chart while leaving a talented cornerback like Rodney McLeod in a comfortable role.

That, however, is where I was a bit wrong because quite simply, Rodney McLeod appears to be the kind of football player that is going to look comfortable wherever you put him. All spring long, McLeod has been turning heads and making people talk. As best I can describe it, McLeod just seems to have a feel for the game, a trait I certainly am fine with having at the safety position for the next three years.

It is the 2009 season, on the other hand, that has me thinking. There is little doubt that UVa has as much talent in the defensive backfield going into season as it has at any point during the Groh era. Corey Mosley is going to start at one safety slot and Ras-I Dowling is going to start at one cornerback slot. From there, nothing is a given, but the pieces are there. McLeod will at least fill the same nickel back role he did in 2008 and despite the fact that he might not seem to be an ideal pairing with Corey Mosley at safety, I think it is going to be very, very hard to keep him off the field (can Brandon Woods, a guy who I trumpeted about for a long time, really get another shot to start at safety?). Chase Minnifield is going to be hard to keep off the field, too ... and isn't it nice to finally have more than one defensive back prospect that we are saying will be hard to keep off the field?

I could go on and on about the talent at defensive back but I think Bailey Stephens handled the subject quite well a week or so ago and there is no need to go over similar ground twice. Suffice to say, to the extent I said that McLeod to safety might not be the right move, I hereby retract that statement. I think he is going to work out just fine, no matter where we put him.

10. Random Thoughts.

I hope before they finish their careers, we see at least one young man named Bratton catch a pass in a UVa football game.
This spring's biggest personal achievement: finally finishing watching The West Wing, beginning to end. Loved that series. And speaking of another series that I hope is renewed - Chuck. No idea why I like that show. Very unlike me. And yet, I really enjoy it.
If it was not for Greg Olsen falling to them in the draft a few years ago, I have no doubt that the Chicago Bears would have had Fontel Mines on the active roster quite a bit over the last couple of years. So am I surprised that the Bears decided to go after another big UVa receiver, Maurice Covington? Not a bit. And Mo did not do a thing to hurt himself in this last week's mini-camp.
I have been asked quite a bit by the parents of younger players which sport I would suggest their kids play in the "offseason." First and foremost, I tell them their kids should play whatever sports they love. Second, if the kid loves the sport, I really cannot think of a better "second" sport for young football players than lacrosse.
As a Bears fan, how am I to feel about Jon Copper getting an invite to the Green Bay Packers' mini-camp? One of my favorite players trying out for the NFL which I have to love ... but did it have to be the Packers?
One of my favorite weekends of the year: the NFL Draft weekend. Loved it. Absolutely love it. Love thinking about who goes where. Love figuring out how different guys can project into different systems. Love thinking about the future. And loved seeing Eugene Monroe on the stage in New York City.
If you had asked me the day after they were dismissed whether Darnell Carter, Jameel Sewell, and Chris Cook would make it back into UVa and onto the football team, I am not sure what I would have said. I like all three young men and I respect them, but in my heart of hearts, did I really think they each could overcome all the obstacles to getting back? I just don't know what I would have said back then. But today, they are back ... and I could not be happier. I am all for second chances, particularly where those second chances are earned the hard way ... and that is exactly what happened here.