Long journey, coveted trophy
Devvarman took advantage of big effort to secure crown
Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 01:09 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE Somdev Devvarman kept his prize nearby yesterday, the trophy he received for winning the NCAA singles title in Athens, Ga. It's not huge - maybe a foot high - but the accomplishment it represents is immense.

"I'll put it up by my window in my bedroom, I guess," Devvarman said at John Paul Jones Arena. "It looks kind of cool."

No cooler than Devvarman looked Monday night, when he capped his junior year at the University of Virginia by becoming the first men's tennis player from an ACC school to win an individual NCAA championship.

"A great moment for everyone associated with Virginia tennis," Cavaliers coach Brian Boland said yesterday.

Until he arrived in Athens about two weeks ago, Devvarman never had beaten John Isner of Georgia. Isner can only wish that streak remained intact.

First, Devvarman defeated Isner in the NCAA team semifinals, U.Va.'s only victory in a 4-1 loss to Georgia. Then, in front of a raucous crowd packed with Georgia fans, Devvarman ousted Isner 7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 7-6 (7-2) in the NCAA singles final.

"He's one of a kind," Boland said, "and this is just the beginning of many great things he's capable of doing."

When Devvarman turned on his cell phone Tuesday morning, waiting for him were about 50 text messages. His voice mailbox was full. Still, Devvarman said yesterday that the magnitude of his feat hasn't really sunk in.

"But I'm pretty sure in a little bit, once I take a deep breath, I'm going to start thinking about it," he said.

Devvarman, 22, is from Chennai, India, and he attended the National Open School in his native country. Initially, Devvarman wasn't interested in playing college tennis in the United States, but he eventually succumbed to Boland's relentless recruiting. Devvarman's parents supported his decision.

"They've always wanted to me to get a good education and a degree from a good school," said Devvarman, a sociology major. "It's just like a blessing, because I can use my tennis to do that."

In his first year under Boland, Devvarman played Nos. 2 and 3 singles and went 39-8, setting a U.Va. record for victories by a freshman. His potential was clear, but Devvarman was no lock to grow into an NCAA champion.

"He was a smaller kid and didn't have a lot of muscle mass," Boland said. "He was really just a counterpuncher. Didn't have much offense, had a relatively weak serve, didn't have a complete game. But he's worked so hard in the weight room. He's become much stronger."

As a sophomore, Devvarman went 31-13 in singles and advanced to the NCAA final before losing to UCLA's Benjamin Kohlloeffel. Now a solid 160-pounder, the 5-11 Devvarman won his final 16 singles matches this season and finished 44-5. The previous record for singles victories in a season by a Cavalier was held by Brian Vahaly, who won 40 matches in 2001.

"His game has developed so much over the past six months," Boland said of Devvarman. "Not only has he developed as a player, he's really grown as a person, and it's really been fun to watch."

Devvarman leaves next week for India, where he'll spend about a month with his family. He has earned a break from tennis, but Devvarman plans to resume training soon, and not because he's about to launch a pro career.

He'll be back at U.Va. for his senior year, Devvarman said, pursuing another set of goals. He'd like to win the NCAA doubles title with classmate Treat Huey - they lost in the semifinals last weekend - and Devverman can become the first men's player to win back-to-back singles titles since Georgia's Matias Boeker in 2001 and '02.

But those objectives aren't foremost to Devvarman.

"Most importantly, I want to win a national team championship for Virginia, for my coaches and for my teammates," he said.

"This guy bleeds orange," Boland said. "He loves the University of Virginia."

 

Doolittle stoked by double duty
Pitcher/first baseman will be on the mound today in Cavs' tournament opener
Friday, Jun 01, 2007 - 12:00 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE Standing in the dugout at Davenport Field the other day, Sean Doolittle did the math, maybe for the first time. He knew he'd pitched twice in the NCAA tournament -- as a reliever in 2005 and as a starter in '06 -- but apparently it hadn't occurred to the University of Virginia baseball star that he'd taken the loss in each game.

"Jeez," said Doolittle, shaking his head.

Then he smiled.

"Third time's the charm," he said.

Doolittle, a 6-3, 195-pound left-hander who plays first base when he's not pitching, will start on the mound today in the opening game of the double-elimination NCAA regional at Davenport Field. Top-seeded Virginia (43-14), an at-large representative from the ACC, meets No. 4 seed Lafayette (33-18), the Patriot League champion, at 4 p.m.

No. 3 seed Oregon State (38-17), an at- large entry from the Pac-10, is scheduled to take on No. 2 seed Rutgers (41-19), the Big East winner, at 8 p.m.

Doolittle, whose pitching record as a Cavalier is 21-7, is 7-3 with a 2.57 earned-run average this season.

"To be able to set the tone here for our team in the regional is something I'm really excited about," he said. "Coming off a good start in Jacksonville against Georgia Tech [in the ACC tourney], I'm excited about picking up where I left off."

Virginia is making its fourth straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. For Doolittle, a junior, this is likely to be his final trip to the NCAAs. He and classmate Brandon Guyer figure to be chosen early in next week's major-league draft and are expected to turn pro this year.

"I've started to think about it a little more as it creeps closer," Doolittle said, "and I feel like, having a chance that it could be my last one, it'd be something really special if we could make a run here. It is kind of motivating to look at it like that."

In July 2003, Virginia hired Brian O'Connor to replace Dennis Womack. Long before he coached his first game at U.Va., O'Connor landed a highly regarded recruiting class whose jewel might have been Doolittle, then a senior at Shawnee High in New Jersey.

"He was big," O'Connor recalled. "There's no doubt about it. Obviously, our coaching staff hadn't coached in a game before he committed here, and to have a player of that magnitude that can do it from both ends -- pitching and hitting -- has been unbelievable."

Doolittle said his commitment didn't really qualify as a "leap of faith." The passion and enthusiasm of O'Connor and his assistants won him over.

"Obviously the opportunity to play two positions was huge," Doolittle said, "but that was pretty much what it came down to: how excited they were about turning this program around, and I was excited about being a part of that, so it was really a pretty easy decision."

As a freshman in 2005, Doolittle hit .313 with 11 home runs and 57 RBI and was named second-team all-ACC Used almost exclusively as a relief pitcher that season, he posted a 1.64 ERA in 22 appearances, and his versatility made him a Freshman All-American.

In 2006, Doolittle raised his batting average to .324 and, working mostly as a starter, went 11-2 on the mound. He was named ACC player of the year and was a second-team All-American.

He didn't repeat as ACC player of the year this season -- that honor went to Florida State's Tony Thomas -- but Doolittle was named to the all-conference first team again. Most important, O'Connor said, the guy whom the Wahoos call "Doc" is peaking late in the season. Overall, Doolittle is hitting .318 with seven homers, 14 doubles and 52 RBI. He's drawn a team-high 42 walks.

Doolittle, whose pitching career is likely to end when he leaves U.Va., has been watched closely by pro scouts all season.

"It's a lot of pressure for a young man to be that highly thought of and have that many eyes on you every time you step on the field, and I feel like he's handled it well," O'Connor said. "I think he's kept it in perspective and kept the team first."

NOTE: Starting pitcher Jacob Thompson (Danville) has been honored as a Louisville Slugger first-team All-American, and Doolittle has garnered third-team distinction. The team was selected by the staff of Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Thompson (11-0, 1.35 ERA) tied the U.Va. career record for wins (21) in the ACC tournament last week.

 

Doolittle ready for finale
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
June 1, 2007

Fastballs typically do not elude his aluminum bat. His career numbers - 207 hits, 41 doubles and 22 homers - prove that.

Silencing powerful sluggers with his deceptive left-handed delivery has also come with ease during his three-year career that includes 21 victories.

Battling emotions, well, that could be another story for Virginia junior Sean Doolittle, the lone two-way player in the Cavaliers’ baseball program.

Tonight, Doolittle could be taking the mound at Davenport Field for the final time - Virginia (43-14) faces No. 4 seed and Patriot League champ Lafayette (33-18) at 4 p.m. at Davenport Field. Rutgers (41-19) and Oregon State (38-17) will play in the nightcap this evening at 8.

Fittingly, “Doc,” as he is commonly known among teammates, gets his final appointment in the double-elimination Charlottesville Regional, one of 16 that open the 2007 NCAA Tournament today.

“You have to look at this game like it is the most important game of the regional, because in a way it is,” said Doolittle, who is 7-3 this year with a 2.57 ERA. “A win over Lafayette can give us the momentum to get to Game 2 or Game 3.

“There is no guarantee for Game 3, of course, without a win in Game 1.”

Virginia coach Brian O’Connor, knowing that he would employ his ace, RHP Jacob Thompson, in the second game, said Doolittle was the obvious pitcher to set the tone.

“He has a lot of pride so that’s why I wanted to give him the ball,” O’Connor said. “To have a player that does what he does on the mound and offensively for three years has been incredible.”

Doolittle, likely a high selection in Thursday’s Major League Baseball draft, said he would try to keep from getting emotional until O’Connor trotted out of the dugout to remove him from the game.

“Hopefully, at that time, I can think about another outing a week from then,” Doolittle said. “If I start thinking about it while I am pitching I would be clouding my thoughts and not focused as good as I should be.

“I am sure it will cross my mind if I am crossing the third-base line for the last time in my outing.”

Should the regional last until Monday, which happened last year as every team in the regional lost at least once, Doolittle would volunteer for relief duty, a role he thrived in as a rookie.

“I will be the first person at the field and in Coach O’Connor’s office, telling him that I am ready to close this thing down,” Doolittle proclaimed. “I am sure we can work something out.”

The southpaw hopes it never gets to that point, but history tells a different story - Virginia has struggled in the NCAA Tournament the past three years, winning just three games. That included a three-and-out last year as host.

“We definitely haven’t forgotten what it felt like last year,” Doolittle added. “We are going to be that much more locked in and taking nothing for granted.”

Lafayette coach Joe Kinney said Thursday that he would counter Doolittle with left-hander Matt Kamine, who has seven wins and a 2.72 ERA. While the senior has walked only 10 batters in 86 innings, opposing batters are hitting .257 against him.

“[Kamine] competes and he has gone out every game this year and given us a chance to win; that’s all you can ask,” Kinney said. “He has won more than he has lost.”

 

Reynolds focusing on draft
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
June 1, 2007

Sebastian Telfair was under 6-feet tall. He never played a second of college basketball. He couldn’t shoot very well. He didn’t even dominate high school all-star games.

But Telfair - the cousin of New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury - was the 13th-overall selection by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft. The New York City product received a multi-million dollar shoe contract to boot.

Three years later Telfair is a bust and nearly out of the league.

The flip side is J.R. Reynolds.

The Virginia guard played four years of college basketball. The Roanoke native improved his game every season.

Reynolds proved he could play both backcourt positions. He was a second-team All-ACC selection as a senior. This past March, he went berserk in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 27 points in two games.

Yet Reynolds will probably be lucky to get picked in the second round of this year’s draft, set for June 28 in New York.

How can this be?

“Everyone’s trying to hit a home run and it rarely works out,” said one NBA scout, who was granted anonymity because league rules prohibit him from commenting about draft prospects. “They’re hoping they can get that one guy who is more than just solid and can change the franchise, but often times that’s when you really miss.

“With guys like J.R., you really know what you’re getting. Guys like Telfair generally end up like the way he’s ended up.”

This week, Reynolds is trying to prove that he is more than just a safe pick as he takes part in the NBA Pre-Draft camp in Orlando. The 6-foot-2, 188-pounder hopes to show scouts that he has plenty of upside, even if he doesn’t have the NBA bloodlines or a whole lot of hype.

Teammate Sean Singletary, who has until June 18 to pull out of the draft and return to school, is also participating in the camp.

Most mock drafts currently have Reynolds and Singletary as second-round picks. The latest collegehoops.net draft has Singletary going to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round (41st overall). The site has Reynolds going to the Trail Blazers at pick No. 53.

However, ESPN insider Chad Ford has Reynolds rated as a “late first- to early second-round” selection. He pegs Singletary as “second round to undrafted.”

Reynolds hasn’t been paying attention to any of the Internet draft buzz. In fact, he says he hasn’t checked out a single mock draft.

“I’ve just been focusing on my day-to-day activities, taking things one day at a time and working hard,” Reynolds said. “That’s the only thing I’ve been doing.”

After a lengthy search for an agent, Reynolds hired Jason Levien, who also represents NBA players Udonis Haslim, Kevin Martin and Alexander Johnson.

“I did a little research and interviewed a lot of people,” Reynolds said. “I just felt comfortable with him. I needed somebody who’s gonna be there whenever I need him.”

Before heading to the pre-draft camp on Wednesday, Reynolds was holed up in the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for two weeks. The academy prepares and trains athletes for the professional ranks.

“I worked on everything - it was the whole nine yards,” said Reynolds, who was even given sample interview questions that he might be asked by NBA executives. “Everything you need is there. It’s unreal. I couldn’t believe it when I stepped on campus. It was crazy. There was nothing to do but focus.”

Reynolds worked out with the likes of Virginia Tech guard Zabian Dowdell, Ohio State guard Ron Lewis and New York Knicks forward Jared Jeffries.

The presence of Jeffries was a little ironic.

“Everyone’s been saying I should go to the Knicks,” said Reynolds, laughing, “but they have so many guards.”

According to scouts, Reynolds strengths are his shooting range and competitiveness on both ends of the floor. They say the biggest thing he needs to show in the weeks leading up to the draft is his ability to play point guard.

“I think the biggest question [the scouts] have asked during the year is, ‘Can he play on the ball?’” agreed Virginia coach Dave Leitao. “He doesn’t have the size to continue to play at that level off the ball, so he’s going to have to prove himself as a ball-handler and point guard more than anything.”

But former UVa assistant coach Rob Lanier, who left to take a job at Florida last week, believes Reynolds can’t forget about his bread and butter.

“The reality is that he has a desired skill,” Lanier said. “He can shoot the ball. He’s a tremendous, tremendous shooter, and there’s always a market for that. I think he has to showcase that.

“There are always questions of whether he can play the point. He’s going to have to answer some of those questions, but he can’t sacrifice his ability to shoot the ball in trying to answer those questions.”

Especially since he’s answered so many of them during his last two years in Charlottesville. All scouts have to do is look at Virginia game tape to see that.

When Leitao took over the program, he made a concerted effort to make Reynolds more of a combo guard. And, when T.J. Bannister transferred to Liberty last summer, Reynolds was forced to play even more minutes at the point. The end result is a much more complete player.

“I don’t think people give him enough credit for how good he was all around - four rebounds and four assists per game,” said one NBA scout.

Reynolds says he still feels like he has a lot to prove despite the fact he was the fifth-leading scorer in the ACC, arguably the most competitive conference in the country.

“I feel like I’m under-rated,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff that I have to show people - things I know I’m capable of doing, but people haven’t seen.”

Reynolds said he hasn’t given any thought as to what he’ll do if he doesn’t make an NBA roster this fall. The two logical options would be the NBDL - the NBA’s minor league - or playing overseas. Playing in Europe would mean more money, but playing in the NBDL would give him a better chance to get called up to the NBA.

“Right now I’m just focused on my dream of the NBA,” said Reynolds, whose favorite player as a kid was Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. “I haven’t thought about overseas, NBDL - none of that. The only thing I’m focusing on now is trying to make it, trying to get a chance.

“But it’s not going to be panic mode [if I don’t make it]. My agent has come up with plans and worst-case scenarios. When that time comes, we’ll plan accordingly.”

One scout, who works for an Eastern Conference team, really likes Reynolds’ game. He believes that the former Roanoke Catholic standout has a bright future - even if he isn’t selected very high in the draft.

“I think J.R. will have the opportunity to play in the league for a while,” the scout said. “What happened this year is that he was on a winning team and got noticed. Team success is what really brought him out of the shadows in terms of the NBA.”

Unfortunately, luck seems like it might play a large role in Reynolds coming all the way out of those shadows.

“I think there are a lot less talented guys in the NBA than [Reynolds],” Leitao said, “but it’s about opportunity, timing and being in the right situation with the right people.”

Dunks

On Thursday, Reynolds and Singletary scrimmaged against each other. Just prior to the jump ball, the pair shook hands and smiled. They did not guard each other, however. Singletary played on a team with Virginia Tech forward Coleman Collins…Reynolds said Singletary hasn’t told him whether he plans on staying in the draft or returning for his senior season. “I really don’t know,” he said. “I think he’s just trying to feel the process out. Maybe he will go [to the NBA], maybe he won’t. I don’t know. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”…On the surface, Florida coach Billy Donovan reportedly accepting an offer to become the next coach of the Orlando Magic would not appear to be good news for Lanier, who left Virginia for Florida last week. However, a source close to the situation said that Lanier likely had a deal in place to join Donovan in the NBA if Donovan was to ever leave Gainesville. Lanier could not be reached for comment. Reynolds believes losing Lanier hurts. “It’s a big blow to the program,” he said. “He was a great coach.” The Daily Progress has learned that Leitao has all but decided on promoting Director of Basketball Operations Drew Diener, 27, to fill the vacancy. However, he will hold off on making an official announcement just in case a higher-profile coach was to become available.

 

Coach's drive guides Cavs
UVa hosts regional tourney
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
June 1, 2007

There is a running joke between Cindy O’Connor and her 36-year-old husband: Should she land a spot on the CBS reality show “Amazing Race,” her husband, Brian, would be her top draft pick.

Loyalty, while apparent, would not be the driving factor. Quite frankly, having a front-row seat to monitor the turnaround of the University of Virginia’s baseball program, for which Brian serves as the head coach, has done the trick.

“He would definitely win it,” Cindy said. “His drive to win is most certainly God-given. It is a need that is as important as the air he breathes. He believes it so strongly that it’s contagious.”

Thanks to Brian O’Connor’s winning ways, Virginia opens its third NCAA Regional in four years at home, a feat few programs can boast.

The Cavaliers, who are 43-14 on the season, will face Lafayette at 4 p.m. today in the first game of the Charlottesville Regional, a four-team, double-elimination event. Rutgers and Oregon State, the defending national champion, meet at 8 tonight at Davenport Field.

Prior to the arrival of coach O’Connor and the two staples of his coaching staff, associate head coach Kevin McMullan and assistant Karl Kuhn, UVa had advanced to the NCAA Tournament only three times in its 116 years of existence. Never had the school hosted a regional.

Not everyone, however, was surprised by O’Connor’s success.

Paul Mainieri, the coach at Louisiana State, brought O’Connor onto his staff at Notre Dame in 1995. Nine years after hiring the then-23-year-old, Mainieri lost O’Connor to Virginia, and he has followed his progress closely since.

“I have not and would not be surprised with anything that Virginia accomplishes with Brian O’Connor as its head coach,” Mainieri said. “He is, without a doubt in my mind, the very best young coach in the country.

“I think that the University of Virginia is fortunate to have him, and if people will rally behind him and support him, he can lead that program to things that nobody there could even have dreamt before.”

The keys to winning, and not just in sports, were taught to O’Connor as a youngster growing up with two brothers in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

“Any time that you have success in anything, whether it is sports or business, it all starts from your family,” O’Connor said. “I was fortunate to have two parents that cared about me and my brothers. My dad taught us discipline, and I was fortunate to be on teams growing up, whether it was football, basketball or baseball, where we had a lot of success.”

But losing played its part in O’Connor’s development as well.

As a junior at Saint Albert High School, O’Connor was the starting point guard on a team that suffered its first loss of the year in the state title game.

“Growing up, that was probably the toughest loss for me to deal with until I got to college,” O’Connor said. “You just have to try to learn from it.”

The following year, the basketball team won the state title. O’Connor, in the process, was named the team’s most valuable player.

“It wasn’t so much that he was the star in the paper every day, but it was his leadership on the court that stood out,” said Kelly O’Connor, Brian’s younger brother. “His teammates recognized what he did.”

Adversity followed again, on June 3, 1991. On that day, he was the losing pitcher for Creighton in a 12-inning classic against Wichita State at the College World Series.

The loss was a blow to O’Connor. Yet, as he has done at Virginia, he knew that what followed would make him stronger.

“Coach O’Connor tells us what we did wrong after we lose, but he doesn’t beat a dead horse by any means,” Virginia junior Sean Doolittle said. “He takes the positives out of the game and reminds us of what we need to do to win.

“I think a lot of guys on the team, especially me, appreciate how he will shoot you straight and tell you like it is. You definitely respect that and you want to go out there and fight for him.”

O’Connor refined that art early in his tenure at Notre Dame.

“I can remember in our first year together, and we weren’t on the field two weeks and we hardly knew all the players’ names, and coach O’Connor walked up and said, ‘Paul, you have to jump on them. They are not hustling. You have to give them the riot act today,’” Mainieri recounted. “I said, ‘Brian, relax for a second.’ I explained to him that you couldn’t yell at players every second of the time, because sooner or later they will tune you out.

“You have to pick and choose your moments when you really need to make an important point, because you could look out there at the field and find something to correct or fine tune about every 30 seconds.”

The mistakes were obvious in the Charlottesville Regional in 2004 and 2006 - the Cavaliers lost four of their seven games, failing to reach a super regional.

Could this finally be the year?

O’Connor certainly hopes so and knows that memories are at stake.

“I really believe that our players will not remember how many home runs that they hit or what their earned run average was, but they will remember how they finished the season and what kind of team they had,” O’Connor said. “For guys that are gamers and winners, those are the kind of guys that you see rise to the occasion this time of year.”

 

UVa closer not a bad opener, either
All-time ACC saves leader Casey Lambert can start games as well.
Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Although it's been two weeks since his last relief performance, Virginia baseball pitcher Casey Lambert continues to find himself in save situations.

The Cavaliers' success in getting past the first weekend of the NCAA playoffs could hinge on their success in finding a third starter, a role that Lambert has assumed in the past two weeks.

"I always knew that he would be a great starter," UVa coach Brian O'Connor said, "but we would not be where we are today, bottom line, if Casey Lambert had not been our closer. "

Lambert, a senior left-hander, is 11-for-11 in save opportunities this year and holds the ACC record for saves in a career with 43.

He will relieve if needed in either of Virginia's first two NCAA Tournament games, starting with Lafayette (33-18) at 4 p.m. today at Davenport Field.

If he is not needed in the first two games, Lambert would get the start if UVa must play a third game.

The Cavaliers (43-14) are the top seed in a field that includes second-seeded Rutgers (41-19), third-seeded Oregon State (38-17) and fourth-seeded Lafayette.

Rutgers and Oregon State, the defending NCAA champion, play at 8 tonight.

Lambert, a 5-foot-11, 175-pounder, started one game as a freshman in 2004 and didn't make his second career start until his school-record 109th pitching appearance, on May 17 at Boston College.

"I was excited," Lambert said. "I didn't see it coming. There had been some discussions within the team about what sort of moves might be made, but nobody knew for sure. It was a complete shock to me, but I ran with it.

"I feel like that chapter is over with and now I'm starting a new one."

O'Connor doesn't know if he would have made the move if Lambert hadn't already broken the ACC saves record.

"That would have been interesting," Lambert said. "That certainly would have left something to be desired, given all the talk surrounding [the record] while it was nearing. Having it out of the way meant that I didn't have to answer any more questions and could just go about my business."

Lambert, a graduate of St. Anne's-Belfield in Charlottesville, has spent his entire college career under O'Connor but actually was recruited by the staff of O'Connor's predecessor, Dennis Womack.

In an odd coincidence, Lambert narrowed his choices to Virginia and Notre Dame, where O'Connor was an assistant at the time of Lambert's 2002 signing.

Lambert was such a big Virginia fan that he commuted from Harrisonburg for his final two years of high school, hoping that proximity would make the Cavaliers more aware of him.

"I was a little concerned when [Womack] stepped down," Lambert said.

"When coach O'Connor got the job, I felt like I'd gotten the best of all worlds."

O'Connor had pitched professionally in the Philadelphia organization, posting a 4-2 record for Martinsville in 1993, and set out to make pitching one of the cornerstones of his program.

However, he hadn't projected Lambert as a reliever.

"I don't think you ever recruit a pitcher and say, 'This guy's going to be a closer,' " O'Connor said.

"When I took the job, I noticed that, the previous year, they had lost 13 games by one run. Well, how do you fix that? You fix that by executing a little bit better and having a really good closer."

That's a lot to ask of a freshman in one of the top baseball conferences in the country, "but I knew he had the mentality and the makeup to do it," O'Connor said.

"Our first year, we go on our first ACC trip and sweep Georgia Tech and he's on the mound in two of the three games at the end. I knew the kid could handle it because he was fearless. He's a little guy who thinks he can handle the world."

Sometimes, Lambert's fearlessness can get him in trouble. In a late-season series at Clemson, Lambert had a stare down with Tigers' coach Jack Leggett and made a gesture that prompted O'Connor to send him to the stands for the series finale.

"I thought it would be tough to maintain my stamina [as a closer] but the biggest challenge has been the emotional part, trying to keep on an even keel," Lambert said. "I want the ball. I'm not afraid of any challenge."

O'Connor wouldn't have wanted him any other way. When he imposed the one-game suspension against Lambert at Clemson, O'Connor knew that he was unlikely to go the next night anyway.

Lambert's fastball tops out in the 88-89 mph range, but he has such command of his breaking ball that he was able to throw 10 straight curveballs in striking out the side at Virginia Tech.

He was eligible for the 2006 free-agent draft but let it be known that it would take a high-dollar offer to get him to bypass his final season of eligibility.

"He's somebody that somebody's going to pick pretty good this year," O'Connor said.

"You can get him at a senior discount, one, but there isn't a club in major-league baseball that hasn't called me in the last three weeks about that kid."
 

NCAA took wrong stance in Duke case
Friday, Jun 01, 2007 - 12:05 AM
By PAUL WOODY
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

No one disputes that the 2006 season was unusual and difficult for the Duke men's lacrosse team.

Rape and kidnapping allegations against three players roiled the program, the school and the college lacrosse world.

The charges, stemming from a team gathering March 13, 2006, were false.

Poor judgment by District Attorney Mike Nifong caused the players, David Evans, Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty, and their families great anguish.

Certainly those players, who face enormous legal bills, should consider financial redress from their accuser and Nifong.

But none of this means the other members of the team deserve an extra year of college eligibility.

Yet, that's what the NCAA granted the 33 underclassmen who were on the squad in the spring of 2006.

The NCAA was wrong.

"If you said the three boys who were arrested deserve another year of eligibility after seeing how brutally they were treated by the legal system, I'd have no problem with that," said Dom Starsia, men's lacrosse coach at the University of Virginia. "I don't think anyone would.

"But don't force us to go back and re-examine the whole situation. The NCAA has made this an ongoing saga. I can't believe they considered this. It's like they said, 'Let's just do the easy thing.'"

Duke made its appeal because it canceled the 2006 season after eight games.

But eight games is more than half of a regular season in lacrosse. Participating in more than 20 percent of a season usually is the NCAA's cutoff for granting an extra year of eligibility.

And the behavior of the Duke players before the night of March 13 hardly was exemplary.

Fifteen already had been charged with such offenses as underage alcohol possession, violating open container laws and public urination. The lacrosse team had been warned to clean up its act.

Instead, the players chose to party on. And the two women working as exotic dancers who were present March 13 did not show up by chance. They were hired by a lacrosse team member. One of dancers made the false accusations against the players.

Such behavior by the athletes alone was reason enough for the Duke administration to take disciplinary action against the team.

Canceling the season should have sent a message to every Duke athlete.

Instead, by taking this case to the NCAA, the school administration essentially condones the players' behavior.

"I felt like, initially, Duke threw those kids and their coach, Mike Pressler, under the bus," Starsia said. "It's human nature to forgive, and if someone stood up and said, 'We made mistakes, and we're sorry people were treated badly' that would be a good place to start.

"Now, I feel like we're jumping ahead to convenient solutions that don't address the problem. You feel like no one has taken any accountability."

The argument can be made that the school should be praised for standing up for its athletes now.

But if the administration had such faith in its men's lacrosse program, it should have stood up for it last year and let the season continue.

Duke's decision to suspend the season once looked admirable. Now, it rings hollow, as if it were done more to stave off a public relations nightmare than to take a stand against misbehavior.

Instead of moving on from 2006, Duke and the NCAA gave that season new life.

That never should have happened. Duke and the NCAA should be embarrassed that it has.
 

Vick informants emerge
Six, including S.C. inmate, contact investigators
By STEVE WYCHE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/01/07

Several people who contacted authorities investigating illegal dogfighting at a property owned by Michael Vick say they can link the Falcons quarterback to the criminal activity, according to the Associated Press.

Surry County, Va., commonwealth attorney Gerald Poindexter told the AP that six people have contacted his office or investigators claiming they can place Vick at dogfights. One of those informants is an inmate in a South Carolina prison, serving a lengthy sentence for dogfighting.

Poindexter, who did not return several phone calls from the Journal-Constitution on Thursday, previously told the AJC that individuals have offered assistance in the case, but he would not say if they implicated Vick.

The South Carolina inmate notified Poindexter, in writing, that he attended dogfights where Vick was present and that Vick placed heavy bets on the fights, a claim made by an unidentified police informant in an ESPN "Outside the Lines" report Sunday.

Poindexter told the AP that Surry County deputy sheriff W.R. Brinkman was personally investigating the claims of the informants.

The credibility of dogfighting witnesses is a concern, because if someone attends a dogfight in Virginia, he is knowingly committing a crime, Poindexter said in earlier interviews with the AJC. Dogfighting is a felony in Virginia punishable by up to five years in prison.

It is not known if any of the informants provided information about dogfighting at the property Vick owns. An April 25 police raid on an unrelated drug charge at the property prompted the current investigation after police found 66 dogs, mainly pit bulls, and materials allegedly related to dogfighting on the premises.

Poindexter told Virginia television station WAVY that investigators have enough evidence to place Vick at dogfights. Poindexter has told the AJC in interviews that there is enough evidence to prove that dogfighting occurred at the property Vick owned, but he never singled out Vick. Poindexter said that Vick spends most of his time living in Atlanta and that six to 10 people have regular access to the 15-acre property under investigation.

Vick denied involvement in dogfighting and blamed family members for problems at the property in a pre-NFL draft event April 27. He has declined comment on the subject since, citing advice of his attorney. His attorney, Lawrence Woodward, has not returned several phone messages from the AJC.

Vick has taken part in all of the team's offseason workouts, including a two-hour, non-contact practice session Thursday at the Falcons' Flowery Branch headquarters.

Information provided by a confidential informant to federal authorities last week prompted the request of a third search warrant of the property last Friday. The search warrant stated that investigators would find up to 30 dog carcasses and materials used to dispose of dogs.

Poindexter and Surry County Sheriff Harold Brown declined to execute the warrant, citing language that could lead to challenges about the gathering of evidence.

There is a 10-15 day window for the warrant to be executed, which remains a possibility, Poindexter told the AJC on Tuesday. The warrant was not executed Thursday.

If investigators feel they have enough evidence to press charges, they could call a special grand jury to review evidence before the scheduled July 24 grand-jury hearing.