Wallace commits to Cavs
From Staff Reports / Charlottesville Daily Progress
June 22, 2006

Eric Wallace, an electrifying 6-foot-7 swingman from Kernersville, N.C., has verbally committed to play at Virginia, according to Rivals.com.

Wallace, who is heading into his senior year at Hargrave Military Academy, is said to have selected UVa over Florida and Wake Forest. Today, Wallace is expected to make a formal announcement prior to the Five Star Basketball Camp all-star game that is taking place at Hampden-Sydney College.

Wallace would be a huge score for the Virginia program. At the school’s Elite Camp last weekend, he was clearly one of the top players.

Wallace would become the second member of Virginia’s 2007 class. Point guard Sam Zeglinski from William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia verbally committed last fall.

 

Post presence in the numbers
Meyinsse a work in progress
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
June 22, 2006

It’s pretty obvious that incoming Virginia freshman Jerome Meyinsse knows about numbers.

His father is the chairman of the math department at Southern University. His mother is a professor in agricultural economics at the school.

Meyinsse, who just started a summer session at Virginia last week, is taking a statistics course. In the next session, he plans on taking economics.

Whatever happened to underwater basket weaving and rocks for jocks?

“I like math,” said Meyinsse, smiling. “It’s tough, but it’s supposed to be tough. I like the challenge. It’s a lot of fun.”

With apologies to former Princeton All-American Bill Bradley - a former Rhodes Scholar - Meyinsse is not your typical basketball player.

The 6-foot-9 post player had a 4.5 grade point average at McKinley High (Baton Rouge, La.). He scored a 32 on his ACT.

Someday, Virginia coach Dave Leitao is hoping Meyinsse’s numbers on the court parallel his ones off of it.

So far, so good, said Leitao.

“It’s refreshing to be around the guy because he’s coming in with a real positive attitude,” Leitao said. “He’s aggressive about taking care of all of his business.

“In talking to [Virginia strength and conditioning coach] Shaun Brown, he’s been great in the weight room as far as his attitude and getting right into the workouts.

“It’s reassuring that the guy we recruited, in such a short period of time, is the guy we thought we were getting.”

For a while, it looked like the 17-year-old Meyinsse - he doesn’t turn 18 until December - was headed to Notre Dame.

In April, he had an official visit lined up with the Irish that he thought would lead to a scholarship offer. But at the last second, Meyinsse decided to play in an AAU Tournament in Houston.

That’s where the Virginia coaching staff saw him play and immediately became very interested. Meyinsse never rescheduled his trip to Notre Dame. He signed with Virginia on May 15.

“I liked the school, I liked the coaches, so I decided to sign,” Meyinsse said. “It’s a great feeling. I’m glad it worked out for the best. It’s almost too good to be true.”

Meyinsse, who says he is still growing, seems like a late bloomer. In high school, he focused on his academics and played the trumpet in the marching band. Basketball wasn’t his No. 1 priority.

With more intensive coaching, Meyinsse’s game could grow exponentially. That’s what Leitao seems to be banking on.

“He’s not nearly where he’s going to be at as far as a player and a person,” Leitao said, “but I think he’ll make a lot of strides in his time here and continue to improve on where he’s at right now.”

Leitao says Meyinsse already has a good foundation. As a senior at McKinley, Meyinsse averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in leading his team to the Class 4A District 7 title.

“He’s aggressive and has a very nice touch,” Leitao said. “He has some post moves and a jump hook with his left and right hand.”

Leitao said Meyinsse’s biggest attribute is his character. He called Meyinsse “a tremendous young person.”

“That’s going to lend itself to expanding his life and his game a lot,” Leitao said. “I think all the fans and [we] coaches in particular will be very happy with his progress and how he develops during his time here and for years to come.”

Meyinsse, who is rooming with teammate Ryan Pettinella, knows he has a lot to work on.

“I need to put on some weight and get stronger,” he said, “and slow down a little bit because everything is moving faster on the college level and I tend to rush a little bit.”

Virginia assistant coach Rob Lanier pulled Meyinsse aside following an Elite Camp game last weekend to give him some instruction on proper post technique.

“He was just telling me to catch it, slow down and look, then make my move fast and aggressive,” Meyinsse said.

The 220-pound Meyinsse said playing one-on-one against teammates, including 260-pound Lauris Mikalauskas, has been an eye-opener.

“They beat me up a little bit,” he said, laughing, “but it’s a learning experience and I get better when I play them.”

There is a chance that Meyinsse will be redshirted this season. Leitao didn’t rule the possibility out. Meyinsse admitted it’s crossed his mind.

“It’s a good thing I [enrolled at Virginia] now,” Meyinsse said, “because I can make my mistakes. Then by the time the season starts, I’ll be ready to go.”

Being in school now also gives Meyinsse a chance to settle in academically. Believe it or not, he said he’s having fun in his statistics class.

“We had a quiz on Friday,” Meyinsse said. “I think I did pretty well.”

 

NFL to get close look at Brooks
From staff reports / Charlottesville Daily Progress
June 22, 2006

In a matter of weeks, former Virginia inside linebacker Ahmad Brooks might find himself practicing in the NFL alongside a familiar face.

It could be with former Cavalier and current San Francisco offensive lineman Patrick Estes. Like a number of teams, the 49ers have made in known that they are interested in taking a closer look at Brooks in the upcoming days.

The first chance comes today.

A number of personnel and scouting directors are expected to be on hand in Charlottesville at the very practice field where Brooks’ college career started. Brooks will hold a personal version of Pro Day at UVa in a session that is closed to the media and the public.

Brooks’ destination in the NFL remains a mystery - and it will until July 13. On that day, the former All-American will hear the results of the NFL Supplemental Draft.

Brooks elected to enter the supplemental draft after he was suspended and dismissed from the Virginia football team by coach Al Groh prior to the start of spring practice. Brooks had one year of eligiblity remaining.

While Brooks was once considered a lock to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, it is unknown where he will land in the supplemental draft. NFL teams interested in Brooks’ services must submit a bid that includes a round. The highest bidder earns the rights to Brooks, but would subsequently forfeit a draft pick in that round in 2007 draft.

 

Ballard makes his professional debut
From Staff Reports / Charlottesville Daily Progress
June 22, 2006

In Spokane, Wash., former University of Virginia pitcher Mike Ballard made his professional debut on Tuesday night for the Spokane Tigers, a Class A team in the Northwest League.

Ballard’s debut lasted only three innings as the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes exploded for four runs (three earned) off five hits and three walks. Ballard struck out two and did not factor into the decision in a game that his team eventually lost 8-5.

Ballard was drafted in the 13th round by the Texas Rangers earlier this month and signed with the team last week, officially ending his collegiate career. The Virginia Beach product, who went 9-3 this year for UVa, had one year of eligibility remaining.

 

Virginia picks up basketball recruit

From all accounts, Eric Wallace put on a show last weekend in Charlottesville. He doesn't plan for it to be the last one.

Wallace, described as an "extraterrestrial" athlete by talent scout Tom Konchalski, announced Wednesday at the Five-Star Basketball Camp at Hampden-Sydney that he has committed to Virginia for the 2007-08 season.

Wallace, who averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds last year for Glenn High School in Kernersville, N.C., will spend his senior year at Hargrave Military Academy, where he will play for the postgraduate team.

Wallace has grandparents in Blairs, Va., located less than 10 miles from Hargrave's Chatham campus, and his mother, formerly Nikita Anderson, is from Roanoke.

Wallace, a 6-foot-6, 215-pounder, said he has better than a 4.0 grade-point average and a 1,650 on the new 2,400-point SAT scale. Konchalski said that equates to 1,090 on the traditional SAT scale.

"Virginia contacted me later than some of the other schools," said Wallace, who said Florida and Wake Forest were in his final three, "but I was looking for a comfort level and I found it."

Wallace attended a camp for elite players last weekend at UVa and felt a connection with Sam Zeglinski, a point guard from Philadelphia who was the Cavaliers' first commitment for the class of 2007.

"Sam is something else," Wallace said.

Five-Star Camp organizer Howard Garfinkel likened Wallace's physical development to that of a fourth- or fifth-year pro. But he needs to work on his perimeter skills and shot selection, Konchalski said.

"He'll be on everybody's top 100 list," Konchalski said, "but where he goes from there depends on how well he fills out his skills set. He has the rudiments of a very good stroke."
 

Open Gym: Eric Wallace
Eric Wallace
Eric Wallace
By: Dave Telep
National Recruiting Director
Date: Oct 5, 2004

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. – One of the nation’s finest sophomores worked out
in an open gym setting at TheInsiders.com was there. Eric Wallace and
a few members of the D-One Sports squad hooped it up Monday evening.

At this time last year, Eric Wallace was a name without a reputation.
A September 2003 AAU event had put him on the map, but he wasn’t
nationally known. After a summer in which he was exceptional at the
Reebok ABCD Camp, Wallace slipped into our 2007 Top 10.

Monday evening, the Kernersville (N.C.) Glenn standout played pickup
for a few hours with a squad of kids from the area and off his D-One
Sports AAU team. Wallace is filling out his 6-foot-5 plus frame nicely
these days, even relishing the fact that he’s getting up 215 in the
weight room with little effort.

One thing he’s not concerned with right now is recruiting. With offers
from nearby Wake Forest, North Carolina, North Carolina State,
Virginia Tech and Clemson, Wallace will never have to worry about the
rising costs of education, that’s for sure. In fact, right now, he
says it’s not even on his mind.

“I’m thinking about the 10th grade and the exams I have on Thursday
and Friday,” Wallace said.

“I’m keeping my options open.”

Can you blame him? Remember your sophomore year when the most
important element of the 10th grade was getting your driver’s license?
Well, Wallace is no different.

On Monday night, he wasn’t the only Division I player in the gym at
Glenn. Matt Gwynne, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Raleigh Ravenscroft
was in town and putting in work. Since we last saw him in the summer,
Gwynne has improved markedly. Gwynne had a great run and mid and
high-major programs will continue to monitor his development
throughout the next year.
 

Maryland rescinds offer to Alaeze
Marijuana charges said to play role in Terps' decision
By Kevin Van Valkenburg, Bill Ordine and Lem Satterfield
Sun reporters
Originally published June 22, 2006

The University of Maryland is withdrawing a scholarship offer to one of its top football recruits, in part because of drug charges.

Melvin Alaeze, a former Randallstown High School star who was expected to play on the defensive line at Maryland, was released yesterday from his scholarship "due to a violation of the terms of his financial aid agreement," the university said in a statement.

Alaeze's enrollment at Maryland already had been delayed a year while he attempted to meet NCAA academic requirements for scholarship athletes.

While the university did not specify the nature of Alaeze's financial aid agreement violation, a source familiar with his situation said it included marijuana-related offenses.

"It is unfortunate that Melvin Alaeze was not able to realize his potential as an athlete or a student at the University of Maryland," football coach Ralph Friedgen said in a statement. "He is a rare physical talent and we wish him well in his future endeavors."

Alaeze, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound All-Metro defensive end at Randallstown, confirmed when contacted by The Sun that Friedgen met with him yesterday and told him that a February arrest in Towson played a role in the school's decision to retract its scholarship offer. But Alaeze said he felt betrayed by Friedgen.

"They said - Friedgen specifically - that they would stick with me, and that we would work it out. But they didn't," Alaeze said.

Alaeze was charged with five marijuana-related offenses in February, according to Baltimore County District Court records. A month later, three of those charges - possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and single counts of possession of marijuana and paraphernalia - were dismissed.

Two remaining charges - possession of marijuana and paraphernalia - have been placed in an inactive status but still can be prosecuted, according to Baltimore County Assistant State's Attorney Thomas Kane.

According to police documents, officers had approached a car driven by Alaeze on Feb. 17 while it was parked in the 4700 block of Old Court Road. Police reported that they found several bags of marijuana in the car that one of the passengers said belonged to him.

"I was told by Friedgen, Melvin violated his letter of intent by getting arrested," said Alaeze's father, Dinma Alaeze. "But he got arrested in February, and as soon as he got arrested, we called [Maryland]. We didn't try to hide it from them. It's not like it happened yesterday. Why did they wait until now to take his scholarship away?"

A source with knowledge of the situation said Friedgen had concerns other than the drug charges.

Melvin Alaeze still had been attempting to raise his SAT score to meet the NCAA minimum academic standards. A source said the Maryland football program recently learned that Alaeze, even though he had not yet qualified academically, had stopped taking the SAT.

"He was not going to get in on grades," the source said. "He was going to try and get a waiver, which would state that he had a learning disability. Eventually, too many red flags went up. Maryland did everything it could for him."

Dinma Alaeze said yesterday that, as far as he knew, his son had taken the SAT "all the times that he was supposed to," and that even though he had yet to earn a qualifying score, he would be fully qualified by the end of the summer and ready to attend another school.

"He's about 10 points away," Dinma Alaeze said of his son's SAT score. "For them to take his scholarship away at this time is unusual. It probably isn't based solely on [the arrest]. All this time, they've been asking Melvin to keep up his end of the commitment. We were loyal to them. Now, where is their loyalty to us? ... But in Melvin's opinion, they're doing him a favor because he didn't want to go to Maryland in the first place."

After Alaeze had 18 1/2 sacks during his senior year at Randallstown, Maryland and Virginia Tech waged an intense battle for him up until signing day to secure his commitment. Maryland won, mostly because of the influence of Alaeze's father, who wanted his son to stay close to home.

When Alaeze failed to qualify, he enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., in the fall of 2005, but withdrew after football season without finishing the semester, returning to live with his parents.

"He said he didn't want to go back," Dinma Alaeze said.

Melvin Alaeze said, in the end, that he is fine with Maryland's decision, because he didn't feel the program wanted him as much as several other schools may have.

"I never really felt during the recruiting process the way someone is supposed to feel if he's highly recruited," Alaeze said. "I was never comfortable with it. I didn't feel the love."
 

Lacrosse player's dad files a plea
Court is asked to reduce bail
Joseph Neff, Staff Writer

The father of lacrosse player Reade Seligmann said in a court filing Wednesday that charges of rape against his son have exacted a huge emotional and financial price and asked a judge to reduce his son's $400,000 bail.
"This case has taken an unbelievable, and horrendous emotional toll on all my family, and especially my wife," wrote Philip Seligmann, an investment banker from Essex Fells, N.J. "We are committed as a family, along with Reade, to do everything necessary to restore our good name."

Philip Seligmann, who said the charges against his son are false, said a friend posted the $400,000 bond for his son and is losing substantial income; bond money does not return interest.

Seligmann's father filed an affidavit describing his son as an excellent student, a leader among his peers and a community volunteer. He attached photos of Seligmann dressed as Santa Claus while on a school service trip to eastern Kentucky and told the judge that the entire family would accompany Seligmann to all court hearings.

Philip Seligmann filed his statement on the eve of a court hearing today. Lawyers for the three players charged in the case will demand that District Attorney Mike Nifong hand over more evidence from his files.

Dozens of reporters and news crews from across the country are expected to return to the Durham County courthouse to report on the next step in a case that has become a staple topic of television talk shows.

The accuser, a dancer with an escort service, said she was raped by three men at a March 13 party that went into the early hours of March 14. Three players have been arrested and charged with first-degree rape, sexual offense and kidnapping: David Evans, 23, of Bethesda, Md.; Collin Finnerty, 19, of Garden City, N.Y.; and Seligmann, 20, of Essex Fells.

Attorneys for all three say that the accusations are false and that no assault or sex occurred at the house at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd.

Nifong has declined all interview requests, saying that he will respond to all motions in court. He did not return a phone call Wednesday.

Over the past weeks, defense attorneys have requested a lengthy list of evidence:

* Access to the accuser's computer, which defense attorneys think has been seized by the Durham police.

* Records from the mental health center where the accuser first made the allegations of rape. She had been taken there for involuntary commitment.

* Notes or reports from the medical exam.

* All notes and materials gathered by law enforcement.

* The accuser's initial description of her alleged assailants to police.

* Reports on photographic lineups conducted March 16 and March 21 in which the accuser apparently failed to pick out her alleged assailants from pictures of Duke lacrosse players.

Also Wednesday, The News & Observer asked the judge to make public the accuser's medical records. Attorneys for Seligmann and Evans filed the records under seal but asked that the judge unseal them. Seligmann's attorneys asked that a judge make the records public. The newspaper's lawyers cited the long history and practice of open courts.

"The filings associated with the sealed documents raise questions about the actions of the district attorney prosecuting this case," attorneys for The N&O wrote in the motion. When the conduct of public officials is at issue, the public has even greater interest in court records, the motion said.

In the early days of the investigation, Nifong gave 50 to 70 interviews to national and local reporters. There are a number of discrepancies between Nifong's early statements and documents from the prosecutors' files that defense lawyers have filed in court.