Brown's UVa departure wasn't obvious a month ago
Another Jeff Jones mulls options
Doug Doughty

Reports that Philip Brown would be joining former Virginia teammates Chris Johnson and Vince Redd at Grambling were somewhat surprising, based on coach Al Groh’s comments on the night that he addressed UVa boosters last month in Salem.

At that time, Groh indicated that he had been impressed by Brown’s diligence in taking the steps necessary to regain his eligibility. Groh specifically mentioned that he had advised Brown to meet with strength coach Evan Marcus on May 8 to pick up a workout and that Brown had been prompt in doing so.

That’s why it was interesting to hear Brown’s comments to the effect that Groh had not called him. While Groh might not have spoken directly with Brown about the May 8 meeting, it is clear from his comments in Salem that he was monitoring the situation.

Until Groh returns my voice message, I’ll have three questions: 1) Did other issues arise after the May 8 meeting? 2) Was Brown rejected for re-admission by the UVa dean’s office, or 3) Did Groh have a change of heart?

I think there is a cleansing process taking place at Virginia, whether by design or not, that could have other manifestations in coming weeks as the Cavaliers learn which of their 2006 signees will not qualify for freshman eligibility, UVa admission or both.

Brown, rated the No. 2 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times in 2002, was one of the top in-state prospects signed by UVa during the Groh era and the Cavaliers’ last Peninsula District representative till returning assistant Mike London took commitments from Jared Detrick and Adam Taliaferro.

On the other hand, if there’s a position where the Cavaliers can afford to lose a player of Brown’s caliber, it’s cornerback. Back are Music City Bowl starters Marcus Hamilton and Chris Gorham, as well as promising younger players Chris Cook, Mike Brown and Vic Hall.

A LOOK AT THE POST and Courier website from Charleston, S.C., provided some revealing information about the departure of College of Charleston men’s basketball coach Tom Herrion, a former assistant under Pete Gillen at Virginia.

Columnist Ken Berger wrote that academics were Herrion’s undoing and that the men’s basketball team had a 1.83 cumulative grade-point average in the spring.

Berger also wrote about Herrion’s “prickly personality and penchant for public tantrums” but said the underlying problem was an academic support program that was insufficient for many of the at-risk student athletes that were going to College of Charleston under its SNAP (Students Needing Access Parity) program.

SIDNEY LOWE, not expected to take over as N.C. State men’s basketball coach until July 1, will go on the payroll Monday after receiving his college diploma from St. Paul’s in Lawrenceville, Va.

One of the stipulations when Lowe was extended the offer that he subsequently accepted was that he attain the degree that eluded him during his playing days at State.

In fact, it has been speculated that part of the holdup in State making an offer was that Lowe was further away from a degree than it turned out. Once he passes the NCAA’s certification exam, he will be allowed to start recruiting the next times the coaches are allowed on the road, July 1.

VIRGINIA TECH APPARENTLY has entered the mix for basketball prospect Jeff Jones, a 6-foot-4 rising guard from Drexel, Pa., who has elected to visit other schools after making an early commitment to Maryland.

Jones was recruited for the Terrapins by assistant Rob Moxley, who was a Maryland assistant for one year before rejoining the staff of North Carolina Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz.

Jones subsequently reopened his recruiting and also had expressed interest in Virginia, which already has had a Jeff Jones, starting point guard on the Cavaliers’ 1981 Final Four team and the Cavaliers’ head coach from 1990-98.

Jones almost certainly will consider UNCC, as well as the Hokies, who could offer him a chance to play with two of his buddies from AAU play, Nigel Munson and Jeff Allen.

READER LOUIS BOLYARD from Bluefield, responding to an item about Osbourn quarterback Brandon Hogan committing to West Virginia, had a point to make about the Mountaineers’ ostensibly crowded quarterback situation.

Bolyard notes that Adam Bednarik, the Mountaineers’ starting QB at the beginning of the 2005 season, underwent shoulder surgery that is expected to sideline him until the 2007 season, when he will be a senior.

Decisions by No. 3 quarterback J.R. House to return to professional baseball and redshirt freshman T.J. Mitchell to transfer to Hampton have left the Mountaineers with a pair of freshmen, Nate Sowers and Jarrett Brown, to back up sophomore Pat White.

I’m still trying to determine the extent of Virginia Tech’s interest in Osbourn High School standout Brandon Hogan, whose coach, Steve Schultze, said Hogan had an offer from the Hokies. Schultz also said that Hogan had a grade-point average that was closer to 2.0 than the recommended 2.5, which might have scared off some people.

It’s unlikely that Tech could have offered Hogan much in terms of quarterback attention, especially with the Hokies in the driver’s seat for Hampton High School’s all-everything QB, Tyrod Taylor.

LAST WEEK’S NOTEBOOK PLUS drew some comments on ESPN midday host Colin Cowherd, but there also was some response to the report that Roanoke Times sportswriter Randy King had become lost on his way to the Lynchburg News and Advance.

King had covered the state quarterfinal boys’ soccer game between Jefferson Forest and Marion, won by Jefferson Forest 9-0, and had made arrangements to write and transmit his story from the Lynchburg newspaper. However, he later admitted to driving past the newspaper office twice without stopping.

As Henry County official and sportswriter-turned-good Tim Hall has pointed out, there was a kicker to the story: King worked at the News and Advance in the early 1980s before beginning his illustrious Roanoke Times career.

“Nappy drives past a building where he used to work,” saide Hall, who joined the staff two months after King’s departure and helped usher in the Golden Era of Lynchburg sports journalism. “Has the building moved?”

King may have had an excuse for not knowing the way from Jefferson Forest to the newspaper. During his tenure at the News and Advance, King lived in a Rustburg trailer park.

THERE WAS A Frank Beamer sighting Friday in Starkville, Miss., where his 29-year-old son and ex-Virginia Tech deep snapper, Shane, will be married Saturday afternoon.

“I’m having a meltdown,” Shane, a Mississippi State assistant, said at midday Friday, “but if there weren’t all these women involved, it would be a pretty good deal.”
 

Millions needed for U.Va.'s arena
Fund-raising goal is proving a challenge with deadline looming
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jun 20, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- When officials at the University of Virginia launched an ambitious campaign to build a replacement for University Hall, they hoped to meet their fund-raising goal by the time the John Paul Jones Arena opened.

Barring an enormous influx of gifts in the next month, that won't happen. With U.Va.'s 15,000-seat arena nearing completion -- the JPJ is the centerpiece of a project that also includes a parking deck and access road -- millions of dollars still must be raised.

The official cost of the project is $130 million, and virtually all must be privately funded. U.Va. entered this month with about $112 million in pledges and gifts, said Dirk Katstra, the university's associate athletic director for external affairs.

About $40 million is from Paul Tudor Jones, the U.Va. graduate for whose father the arena is named. The university continues to pursue corporate sponsors, and naming opportunities remain in the building near the intersection of Emmet Street and Massie Road.

"It's been a challenge," said Katstra, who's also executive director of the Virginia Athletics Foundation, the school's fund-raising arm for athletics. "A $130 million building, all privately funded, with a pretty short timetable to get it done. Every gift you miss on, you've got to make up someplace else."

Solicitations that would bring in around $15 million are under consideration this month from prospective donors. In all, Katstra said, the school probably will have to raise at least $150 million to pay for the project.

Some of the money for construction must be borrowed, and so there will be debt service to pay off. The arena's 20 luxury suites, leased every five years, will provide revenue that will help pay off the arena debt.

"A lot depends on how people actually pay their gifts," said Katstra.

Some pledges, for example, are spread over five years.

"If we had $130 million in cash in today, we'd be done," Katstra said.

"We're going to keep needing to raise money to support the project. We're hopeful we can get to $130 [million] soon and then figure out where we go from there."

The company that will manage the John Paul Jones Arena, SMG, is scheduled to move into the building this week. The first public event at the arena, a Cirque Du Soleil show, is set for Aug. 1.

The men's basketball team will move its offices from University Hall to the new arena in August, after the summer recruiting period ends.

A deadline is looming. At the end of this month, donors who have made arena gifts of $10,000 or more will be ranked. In July and August, they'll be able to pick out their seats, based on how much they've given.

Katstra praised the generosity of donors. As of late April, he said, U.Va. had received 10 gifts of at least $1 million.

"It just takes a lot of gifts to add up to $130 million," Katstra said.

 

Virginia recruit Tat says 'I do'
Nigerian's visa problems resolved with marriage
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
June 19, 2006

Wedding bells have never sounded so sweet to Wahoo Nation. They must sound pretty nice to Virginia coach Dave Leitao, too.
On Monday, The Daily Progress learned that Solomon Tat, UVa’s prized basketball recruit, was recently married.
That means the Nigeria native no longer has a visa problem and will most likely be able to play for Virginia this season.
Tat, who attended high school in suburban Atlanta, tied the knot sometime in May, according to Linzy Davis, Tat’s coach at Stockbridge Community Christian. Davis said the newlyweds dated for a couple of years.
“It’s just one of those things that’s good timing for everybody,” said Davis, who didn’t reveal the name of Tat’s wife. “It works out well. He’s supposed to get [to Charlottesville] around July 1 and move forward with his career.”
Tat, who couldn’t be reached for comment, shouldn’t have any problem obtaining a conditional Green Card, according to Chuck Henter, an attorney who handles immigration cases for Davidson and Kitzmann, a law firm in Charlottesville.
“Normally [it’s] one of the easier immigration benefits to get,” Henter said. “It’s the U.S. Government’s version of saying, ‘We want families to stay together.’”
Henter said the card would be good for two years. Then Tat would need to make an application for the card to become permanent.
“All it would take is being able to prove to the immigration officer who is reviewing and analyzing the case that you intended to have a valid marriage at the time,” Henter said.
Current Virginia player Tunji Soroye, who has known Tat since the pair’s days on the Nigerian National team, said Tat was “excited” to have married his longtime girlfriend - and glad to have put his visa ordeal behind him.
Now the only thing keeping Tat from playing for Virginia is the NCAA Clearinghouse, which must approve his high school transcript. Sources told The Daily Progress that the UVa coaching staff doesn’t expect that to be a problem. However, since a portion of Tat’s schooling came in Nigeria, the process might take a little longer than usual.
The 6-foot-5 guard would be an exciting addition to the team. Tat is said to be a tremendous athlete who is capable of playing multiple positions. He would give Virginia three recruits ranked within the top 120 prospects in the country, according to Rivals.com (with Jamil Tucker and Will Harris being the others).
The Tat visa saga had dragged on for more than six months. In the last few weeks, Leitao had expressed optimism regarding the situation.
Now we know why.
Leitao was not available for comment.
 

Groh, Johnson dispute claims of a scholarship
By Jerry Miller / Daily Progress staff writer
June 18, 2006

As college football stadiums expand across the country and the payout for bowl victories skyrockets well into the millions, major college football coaches face significant pressure from athletic directors, big-money donors and fan bases alike to do well from a win-loss standpoint almost immediately.

It is this pressure that has Charlottesville High graduate and former Virginia football player Chris Johnson in an uproar for what he said was unfair treatment from UVa football coach Al Groh.

“I couldn’t help them win now so they stopped caring about me,” said Johnson, a defensive lineman, who will transfer to Grambling State University along with Philip Brown and Vince Redd, also formerly of the UVa football team.

Johnson, who started four games at defensive end as a redshirt freshman in 2004, was suspended from Virginia for academic reasons mid-season in September during the 2005-06 school year.

Following the regular season, Johnson said he met with Groh in January with his father Eric Johnson, a principal at Walton Middle School in Charlottesville, to discuss Johnson’s options for the 2006 football season. Groh does not deny this meeting took place.

However, what was up for debate is what exactly was said in the meeting in which only the three men were present.

Johnson said, and his father confirmed, that Groh promised him a scholarship would be waiting after he got his academics in order. Groh, however, has denied this claim.

“[Groh] said, ‘Get your academics straight and come back to me,’” explained Johnson, who also wanted to let it be known that he has never been arrested or failed a drug test of any kind in his life.

Johnson then pulled the money “out of pocket” to pay for tuition and books at Piedmont Valley Community College.

Because Johnson was not enrolled at UVa at the time, he was not permitted to work out and lift weights in school facilities. As a result, Johnson also had to pay for a membership at a gym in Charlottesville to stay in shape.

Once he completed his semester at PVCC, Johnson also paid for tuition at Virginia to take summer classes to raise his grade point average and accumulate course hours.

The family estimated the out-of-pocket cost to be about $5,000, which Johnson said he had no problem with.

“I put myself in this situation. Nobody told me not to go to class,” Johnson said. “… I thought I was going to come back to the team like I left, and that was with a scholarship.”

Johnson said he paid the estimated cost himself by working for UPS, substitute teaching at Sutherland Middle School and refereeing basketball games.

After Johnson said he accumulated the necessary hours to become eligible, he then returned with his mother, Marcia, to meet again with Groh, this time in April.

In that meeting, Johnson said Groh indicated he would have to return as a walk-on and “earn” his scholarship back in camp and perhaps into the fall season, a contradiction to what Johnson said was explained to him in January.

“Why would I pay to go to Piedmont and come back as a walk-on when I can go somewhere else and have it all covered?” he said. “That’s just dumb. That’s what makes me mad about the whole situation. It makes no sense. If from the time we met with [Groh], if we knew there was no scholarship, why would I sit around Charlottesville and do everything that I did?”

In a lengthy interview Thursday afternoon, Groh denied telling Johnson a scholarship would be waiting for him.

“There was no misunderstanding on my part as to what the message was in January,” Groh said. “Apparently there was a misunderstanding in the hearing and not the saying. The message in January has remained consistent and will remain consistent. Chris would have options by which he could rejoin the team. Chris has chosen not to exercise those options.”

When reached by phone mid-week, Grambling State defensive coordinator Luther Palmer said his school would have offered Johnson a full scholarship in January, which would have saved the estimated $5,000.

“I was not going to come back for coach Groh as a walk-on,” Johnson said. “I told him I’ll either come back the way I left or not at all. I told him I’m not a walk-on type player. I’m not saying I’m the best player in the world, but I feel like I can play out here and be successful. Virginia wasn’t the only place for me to play ball.”

Eric Johnson said about 12 to 15 Division I-AA schools recruited his son out of Charlottesville High School. He also indicated each school said to contact them if something happened at UVa, with a scholarship most likely waiting for him.

Eric Johnson, who is currently paying college tuition for his wife and youngest son, believes Groh mistreated his family.

“My definition of honesty is being forthright and obviously being truthful of all knowledge,” Eric Johnson said. “At the time we met in January, [Groh] did not communicate all the information we needed to know. He was not clear with us. Therefore when he claimed that he did not say a scholarship would be waiting, he was not honest with us.”

Groh has maintained the miscommunication rests on the Johnsons’ end and the January and April meetings are team business and should not be public knowledge.

“As I have said on a number of occasions, it’s an honor to have an opportunity to attend the University of Virginia and it’s a privilege to wear the uniform of Virginia,” he said. “With that come standard values and performance criteria that we deem very important. When there are issues with those criteria, we address the circumstances individually and with confidentiality. Without confidentiality, there’s no trust and integrity. Because of that, the public will never know all the issues in every circumstance, and that’s the way it should be.

“Besides the confidentiality factor, there are always many sides to a story. We always want to avoid embarrassing or disparaging anybody. We take care of our own business on this team.”

 

UVa may have lost recruit Lett
Hoops stud loses spot at Hargrave, headed to Florida junior college
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
June 18, 2006

Former Alabama high school basketball player Johnnie Lett - thought to be a part of Virginia’s 2007 recruiting class - isn’t coming to UVa after all.

On Saturday, Lett told The Daily Progress he is headed to Okaloosa-Walton (Junior) College in Niceville, Fla.

Lett, a 6-foot-8 power forward with great athleticism, originally signed with Virginia during the early period last fall and was expected to be a part of the 2006 class.

However, Lett didn’t meet NCAA academic requirements and planned on taking a prep year at Hargrave Military Academy so that he could be eligible to play for the Cavaliers in 2007.

Unfortunately for Lett, his spot at Hargrave has been unexpectedly taken by a current basketball player at the school who failed to academically qualify.

“I’m pretty upset,” said the very soft-spoken Lett, during a telephone interview from his home in Alabama. “I thought they had a spot for me, but they never called.”

The Virginia coaching staff tried to convince Lett to take a prep year at Brewster Academy (N.H.) instead.

“I wanted to go [to Brewster],” Lett said, “but our family just doesn’t have the financial [resources].”

Lett said he would still be very interested in attending Virginia after his two years at Okaloosa, but UVa accepting a junior college transfer who didn’t originally qualify would seem to be a long shot.

The loss of Lett leaves UVa with three scholarships for 2007, possibly four if Solomon Tat doesn’t rectify his visa problem.

One of those scholarships has already been earmarked for Sam Zeglinski, a point guard who verbally committed to Virginia last fall. Zeglinski hails from William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia (the same school that produced current UVa point guard Sean Singletary).

Impressive campers

Zeglinski took part in Virginia’s Elite Camp at University Hall on Saturday and looked sharp. He showed great court vision on several occasions, finding teammates for easy buckets.

Zeglinski, who received encouragement from Singletary - who was sitting at courtside - also displayed quick hands on defense. He swiped the ball away from bigger players twice and finished with layups.

Zeglinski is playing on a team called the Mavericks with fellow rising seniors Patrick Patterson and Eric Wallace. Both players are at the top of Virginia’s wish list. However, they are also coveted by a host of other ACC schools.

It was easy to see why.

Patterson, a post player who already has a chiseled physique, showed a great combination of power and athleticism. The highlight of his day was a drop-step move that he finished with a vicious slam.

Wallace, a swingman, showed freakish athletic ability all day long. He was on the receiving end of numerous alley-oops. A two-handed tomahawk jam near the end of the day nearly broke a U-Hall basket support. Wallace also showed a nice touch from the perimeter.

“That’s ridiculous,” said one young fan in attendance after he watched Wallace dunk and drain a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions. “He can shoot it and he can fly.”

The Mavericks squeaked out a one-point win over the Spurs, who featured Virginia incoming recruits Will Harris, Jerome Meyinsse and Andy Burns.

Harris, the most seasoned player of the trio - he took a prep year at Brewster Academy - was the most impressive. The 6-6 swingman showed great strength on his drives to the basket. Harris’ jumper was off, but he still managed to score a game-high 21 points.

 

Len Bias' death provoked change, questions
DAVID GINSBURG
Associated Press
 

BALTIMORE - When he completed his extraordinary basketball career at Maryland, the only question surrounding Len Bias was whether he would dominate the NBA in the same fashion he ruled the Atlantic Coast Conference. Twenty years later, many still wonder.

Bias appeared destined for greatness when the Boston Celtics selected the 6-foot-8 forward with the No. 2 pick in the 1986 NBA draft. The plan was for Bias to team with future Hall of Famer Larry Bird for a few years, then take over as leader of pro basketball's most storied franchise.

"It's a dream within a dream," Bias said that night. "My first dream was just to play in the NBA. To get drafted by the world champions is an extra one."

Two nights later, on June 19, 1986, Bias died of cocaine intoxication. He was 22.

"The news of his death was tragic, as he would have been an amazing professional player after his college career," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said recently. "It was a sad day for the entire sport of basketball. We lost one of the best players of that era."

Bias averaged 16.4 points per game at Maryland and won the ACC player of the year award in 1985 and 1986.

"I have said many times that the two most difficult opposing players to prepare for in my time in the ACC were Michael Jordan and Len Bias," Krzyzewski said. "Len was a gifted player. He was special, and our league has had a lot of great players."

Bias led Maryland to the ACC title in 1984, the only one the Terrapins won under coach Lefty Driesell.

"I've coached a lot of great players, and if Leonard wasn't the best, he was right up there," Driesell said in a telephone interview from his home in Virginia Beach, Va. "I know this much: No one improved as much from his freshman to his senior year."

The Terrapins' current coach, Maryland alum Gary Williams, was coaching at Ohio State in 1986. But he saw enough of Bias to know he would have been a star in the NBA.

"By the time Bias was a senior, he was one of those players that could do anything on the court. That's one of the sad things, that no one got the chance to see how good a pro he could have become," Williams said. "He would have really helped the Celtics. At the time, Larry Bird, Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale were pretty old; I think Bias could have kept that dynasty going."

Bias' death affected everyone around him, including Driesell, who was forced to resign. It also altered the way America perceived - and policed - recreational drugs.

"The attitude in the country was that doing cocaine was exciting fun," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Len Bias' death changed the nation's attitude about drug use. People said, 'This is wrong, this is bad.' It energized parents to do something about it."

The government acted, too. Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which provided leadership in establishing drug abuse prevention programs. The legislation, introduced by President Reagan, also created the Office for Substance Abuse Prevention.

In addition, stiffer sentences were enacted for those convicted of trafficking drugs.

Twenty years have passed since her son died, and Lonise Bias remains unrelenting in her quest to teach the nation about the danger of using drugs. She heads workshops and seminars on the subject, eager to ensure others learn from her son's fatal mistake.

"When Len first died, someone said take lemons and make lemonade. That disturbed me, because it was one of the most painful things that I had ever experienced. It was very difficult for me," Lonise Bias said. "But 20 years later, I have lemonade. That's been the hardest thing - sweetening this thing that was so bitter by helping other people and learning through life's experiences."

Walters said drug use by teens in the United States is down 20 percent since 2001, and a portion of the credit belongs to Lonise Bias.

"Bias speaks with the power of a parent who lost a child," Walters said. "Obviously, she has had to endure some pain, but she makes that sacrifice for the betterment of others."

Len Bias died after inhaling a large amount of cocaine during a late-night gathering with a few friends in a Maryland dorm room. A year later, during a trial in which Brian Tribble was acquitted of charges he provided Bias with the cocaine that killed him, two Maryland players said Bias had used the drug several times before.

Driesell still refuses to believe it.

"He was one of the nicest young men I ever met. He went to church every Sunday and always worked hard in practice," Driesell said. "We had drug tests, and he never tested positive. He didn't even drink beer. I would almost bet my life he never tried it before that night."

Williams said Bias' death caused college teams to upgrade their drug-testing programs.

"The NCAA looked at drug testing as something that could prevent what happened to Len Bias," the coach said. "Before that, drug testing wasn't very scientific. After Bias died, teams went to random testing, which is how it should be."

In a university investigation following Bias' death, school officials found Bias failed to attend his courses for the final weeks of the spring semester, cutting classes after playing his last game with the Terrapins. Driesell and athletic director Dick Dull were forced to resign.

Asked if he could have done anything differently, Driesell replied, "The only thing I regret is that Len Bias passed away. The NBA lost a great player, and I lost Len Bias as a friend."

Bias' No. 34 jersey hangs from the rafters at Maryland, a tribute to one of the school's finest players. If he had played for Boston, would there have been a place for his jersey on the ceiling of the Celtics' arena?

"When I think about Len Bias now, I think of how hard he competed and how tremendously talented he was," Krzyzewski said. "Other than Michael Jordan, he is the player that no teams had the answer for. He was that good."

Memory of shock, emptiness still fresh 20 years later
David Steele

I was sleepy. But I couldn't have been that sleepy.

It wasn't 9 in the morning yet. I was knocked out on the pull-out sofa in my mother's apartment in Silver Spring. The sound of my younger brother and my friend busting through the door as they came back from an early summer-school class at Maryland had woken me up.

The first thing they said was "Did you hear about Len Bias?"

Twenty years ago this morning, there were a million potential answers to that question. He signed his Celtics contract. He signed a shoe contract. He dunked on Larry Bird in a workout. He appeared in a commercial already. He got traded already.

Any and every answer was possible. Except "He's dead."

They had heard it on the radio on the way home. A heart attack. That didn't make any sense, either. Len Bias had to have been the healthiest-looking athlete on earth. We all, at various stages of our time as Maryland students, had seen him play like Superman.

Len Bias, in fact, had marked the beginning of my professional career. Four months earlier, when I had interviewed in St. Petersburg, Fla., for a job at the now-defunct Evening Independent, my host had asked me what I wanted to do for dinner. I don't care, I said, as long as we watch the Maryland-North Carolina game.

My host was from Baltimore; he understood immediately. We went back to his place and watched Bias hit that jumper, then steal the inbound and throw down a dunk as Maryland became the first visiting team to win in the Dean Dome.

I got the job. A bout of homesickness had brought me back that week, the same week that Len Bias had gotten a new job himself.

We all - and by that, I mean all my Maryland friends - had just seen him shaking David Stern's hand after the Celtics, who had just won another NBA championship, drafted him second overall. For the first and last time, I had gotten together with a bunch of people to watch the draft. Special occasion.

In the two days after, we had pondered the deep psychological and philosophical shift that was required of us becoming - gulp - Celtics fans. Celtics gear had already started popping up all over D.C. and Prince George's County. You did not see kids in the D.C. area, certainly not black kids, wearing Celtics gear in 1986.

Now, the local stations were breaking in with special reports. The cameras were at the hospital. When they showed the stretcher with the long, sheet-covered body, we all let out a gasp. It hadn't been a big mistake after all, a terrible rumor.

Now, they were showing Keith Gatlin, his teammate, the one who threw Len Bias all those alley-oops. He was in the hospital hallway, his fists in the air, his head tilted toward the sky, his face contorted in agony and streaked with tears. Of all the great things Gatlin did as a player, the image I've carried of him for 20 years is not of him in uniform at Cole Field House, but of him in the hospital crying.

Stations returned to regular programming. Between soap operas, a CBS Newsbreak came on. The lead story was Len Bias. Until then, it didn't even dawn on us that this was a national story. It wasn't until later that I realized that everybody, not just us around here, would remember where they were when they heard.

I got dressed, and we drove to campus. It just seemed like that was where we needed to be. TV trucks were all over the place. We went to Cole. People were sitting in the stands, students, lots of them, more coming in every minute.

They sat staring at the vacant floor. Or sat with their heads in their hands. Or leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The ones who didn't sit walked slowly around the concourse until they stopped and just stared at the court, too.

We sat down. We stared. If we said anything, and I don't remember saying much of anything, we whispered.

We went home. The TV and radio stations kept breaking in with reactions from around the country. Lefty Driesell wiping away tears and talking about how he hoped to see "Leonard" in heaven. Larry Bird calling it "the cruelest thing I've ever heard." More clips of the big, sheet-covered body.

The phone kept ringing. Everybody wanted to talk. Can you believe this?

In the middle of all of that, at about 4 in the afternoon, Channel 9 in D.C. suddenly cut live to the newsroom. A reporter had new information. From his mouth, with no warning whatsoever, came the word "cocaine."

No gasp this time. We all blurted out a loud curse.

That moment, even more than when word of Len Bias' death first got out, was when everything changed.

Later, I called the office in Florida. Everybody's been talking about it, I was told. And everybody's been asking about you. Was I all right?

Yeah, I said, sort of.

But nothing, including me, has really been the same since.

 

IN MY OPINION / SCOTT FOWLER
Redick needs new game plan
SCOTT FOWLER

You become nearly immune in this business to athletes doing dumb things. It happens so often, just like in real life. There's not a pro sports team that is anywhere close to perfect (nor a single church congregation).

The explosive combination of youth, fame and money often produces ugly consequences. I know that. But I was still totally shocked when the news came this week that J.J. Redick had been arrested on drunken driving charges.

I thought Redick was too smart to make such a dumb mistake. Having been around him for the past four years at Duke, I found him not only a fantastic college basketball player but a clever, mature young man.

Redick is well-versed in both the Bible and pop culture. He can quote a verse from Isaiah or a line from a character from the TV show "Entourage." He might have been the best college player in a hostile environment I've seen, refusing to lose his cool despite constant attempts by opposing players and fans to get a rise out of him.

We all knew Redick was a better shooter than a driver, of course. But what he did early Tuesday morning in Durham sounds like it was borne out of panic.

According to reports, Redick tried to avoid a police checkpoint near the Duke campus by making an illegal U-turn and then driving away. When pursued by police, Redick turned into an apartment complex and eventually was found to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.11. The legal limit in North Carolina is 0.08.

So here came the arrest and the requisite mug shot, with Redick looking sullen and slightly out-of-focus. All that was missing was a Kerry Collins stogie. The few bucks Redick didn't fork over that night for a cab ride was undoubtedly the worst financial decision of his life.

What now?

Now Redick, 21, has to take a page out of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps' playbook. Phelps won six gold medals in Athens in 2004, then was arrested and charged a few months later with drunk driving.

He has constantly talked about the arrest -- on both national TV and to dozens of reporters. He has admitted his guilt, said he was sorry and spoken to youth groups. Redick issued a brief statement this week through Duke, saying "I regret what happened last night and want to apologize to my family and the Duke community for the incident." Not nearly enough.

In much the same way that Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger should use his recent accident as a platform to tell all motorcycle riders to wear a helmet, Redick should use his to tell everyone not to drink and drive. Again and again.

It's a message that can't get out there often enough. It not only will help rehabilitate Redick's image -- although it will never be totally pristine again -- but it's the right thing to do.

Redick has other problems, too. The NBA's draft comes June 28, and Redick has some issues with his back that might actually hurt him more than this recent arrest in terms of being drafted. He's a first-round pick for sure, but whether it's No. 8 or No. 18, no one seems quite certain.

No matter where he gets chosen, though, Redick will soon be rich. Many more temptations will beckon.

He has to be smart enough to avoid them.

And he must be generous enough with his time -- and honest enough with his words -- that he makes others avoid the same monumental mistake he just made.