Cavs, Razorbacks set for battle
By Jay Jenkins
Published: June 17, 2009

OMAHA, Neb. – Having assumed the role as a rookie at Virginia, Tyler Cannon did not do a double take when he saw his name penciled in the lead-off spot in the lineup card Monday.

As the Cavaliers prepared to stave off elimination at the College World Series, the junior returned to the top spot, one that has typically been given to sophomore Jarrett Parker.

Magically, it worked — Cannon set the table, drawing two walks and singled home a run as Virginia won 7-5 against Cal State Fullerton.

With the win, fifth-ranked Virginia (49-14-1) advanced to face Arkansas (40-23) tonight at 7 p.m. at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Cannon may find himself penciled in the first spot in the batting order again against Arkansas starting pitcher Drew Smyly (3-1, 4.72 ERA), the expected option against Virginia rookie LHP Danny Hultzen (9-1, 2.33 ERA).

“It was not a big deal,” Cannon said. “I guess since I got three hits in the first game against LSU, coach [Brian] O’Connor decided to switch things up.

“We had to get something going. He thought I was the guy. I trust whatever coach O’Connor thinks he should do.”

Given the stage, the move seemed to baffle Fullerton coach Dave Serrano. It was not something coaches typically do once reaching the College World Series.

O’Connor is not your typical coach. Numbers are just numbers in his eyes. Gut feelings take on a greater role.

“I just knew that it would help us win the game,” the skipper said. “Cannon has done it before and was not in awe by the move. Parker is a big reason why we are here but I needed to take some pressure off of him. He will snap out of it. I am confident.”

Oddly enough, Cannon was batting in the contest from the left side of the plate.

That would not have happed in his first two years at Virginia. He was, in fact, solely a right-handed hitter upon arrival in Charlottesville.

“Switch-hitting is always a whole lot better than just hitting right-handed,” said Cannon, who tinkered with both sides of the plate in 2007 during fall practice. “I was having trouble with the right-handed sliders last year so I made the switch. That was definitely my Achilles’ heel last year.

“Batting left-handed, I don’t see that. I thought I would give it a try and it is working so far.”

Using both sides of the plate and hitting to all fields this year, Cannon is batting .348 with 19 doubles and has scored 53 runs.

It has not been pretty throughout, however.

“It has had its ups and down,” the Tennessee native admitted. “There was a point during the season where I was 0 for 15 from the left side. It has had its ups and downs and hopefully I can stay consistent with it. I want to get even better.”

That will likely come next year in a Virginia uniform. Cannon has two options, having been drafted by the 41st round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I am coming back,” Cannon said. “I was actually surprised that I was even drafted because scouts knew that I really wanted to come back.”

Omaha reinforced that demand.

“Nothing compares to this,” he said. “This has been amazing. We want to stay as long as possible.”
 

Virginia won’t come home empty-handed
By Jay Jenkins
Published: June 17, 2009

OMAHA, Neb. — Much was made of Virginia coach Brian O’Connor’s return trip to Rosenblatt Stadium and the College World Series.

There is, however, another interesting angle to go with the Cavaliers’ first trip to the Nebraska-based baseball gala.

That is where Ryan Briggs enters the picture.

An unknown in Virginia circles, Briggs strolled out to the Cavaliers’ practice session Tuesday afternoon at Creighton University sporting a Virginia baseball hat.

He smiled throughout. He let thoughts dance in his head of being on that field.

It could happen soon. Like real soon.

Briggs, a recent graduate from Creighton Prep in Omaha, signed a national letter of intent to play baseball at Virginia next year.

That process will start in August with an arrival at Virginia, but with a magical postseason ride that included numerous stunning feats, the Cavaliers (49-14-1) made their way to Briggs.

“As a guy growing up here and watching all the teams play in the College World Series and asking for autographs when players got off the bus and asking for memorabilia, it is unreal to see Virginia here,” said Briggs, a two-way standout at Creighton Prep. “It really is crazy. It is just really surreal that I could be the guy on the field at Virginia or in the dugout at the College World Series.”

It would be easy to assume that O’Connor, a native of nearby Council Bluffs, Iowa, played a huge role in the recruitment of Briggs.

That is only partly true.

Briggs, a bookworm of sorts who scored 32 on the ACT and has a 4.0 grade point average, went to baseball camps at Oklahoma State, Princeton, Stanford and Virginia as a junior.

When he told his coach, Pat Mooney, that he was going to UVa, Mooney chuckled. It was at Creighton University that Mooney played alongside and later coach O’Connor.

The two coaches talk regularly.

“I didn’t really know about their connection until I talked to our coach about it,” Briggs said. “When I was going to camp in the fall of my junior year, I said, ‘Hey, I am going to this camp in Virginia.’”

O’Connor, with a personal endorsement provided by Mooney, quickly impressed the right-handed pitcher and outfielder.

“He seems from the outside to be a player’s coach,” Briggs said. “All the players really respect him and he seems like a great guy to be around. He is always happy.”

As a sophomore and junior, Briggs impressed offensively.

Later, still hitting in the clean-up spot, Briggs struggled at times offensively as he became the ace for the team on the mound.

Leading Creighton Prep to the state title game as a right-hander that touched 93 miles per hour, Briggs went 7-0 and worked deep into the championship before the game turned wild.

After a three-run, inside-the-park homer for Westside, Creighton Prep’s top rival, Briggs was drilled with two pitches in the final inning only to be told that he leaned into the pitch.

At Virginia, at least initially, Briggs is likely to be used as a pitcher in assistant coach Karl Kuhn’s complex system.

“Briggs has an excellent arm, has a lot of talent, is a bright kid and I don’t think Brian will have any problem with him,” he said. “He has great parents and he is going to be a good kid. He will probably get a chance on the mound for Brian and eventually he might be one of those two-way players for Brian that will help with the roster limits in place.”

For now, Briggs is excited to watch another College World Series game that will include a host of future teammates. Yet he has tried to keep his distance from the players and coaches, merely taking in practices to get a feel for what 2010 will entail.

“I don’t want to be a nuisance,” Briggs said. “I feel a little uncomfortable being here. This isn’t my team. It is them. I didn’t earn any of this.”

That will change in weeks when he arrives and officially joins the program. Landing a return trip is the mission.

“It has always been a dream and I wanted to go to school where I could go back to Omaha as a player,” he said. “I felt like they were going to do it seeing what they had and what they were doing. Going to regionals six years in a row, I knew they were going to make the jump at some point.”

“They have a great ERA and great hitting and just needed to put it all together late in the year. We can keep that up with what we have in place.”

Going a long ways

During a planned social outing this week, Virginia’s players were allowed to hit golf balls at a driving range in Iowa.

One player stood out for reasons outside of his imposing 6-foot-6 frame.

Danny Hultzen, the starting pitcher today against Arkansas for Virginia, admitted he was not headed for the PGA tour.

“You can ask Scott Silverstein about that,” he chuckled. “He can hit a ball 300 yards for you.”

Silverstein, unable to pitch this year due to a labrum injury suffered as a senior in high school in 2008 and limited to hitting duties, said he hoped to play golf upon his arrival back to Charlottesville.

He has one flaw.

“I have no short game,” he joked.

The power of Eddie

Virginia improved to 5-0 in coin flips since the arrival of assistant coach Eddie Smith and will bat last and wear white uniforms today against Arkansas.

A former player at Notre Dame, Smith has won four coin flips with correct calls to determine the home team in postseason contests and watched as Ole Miss lost a coin toss for the right to bat last in the final game of the Oxford Super Regional.

“O’Connor may have to keep Eddie around forever just because of that,” one unnamed member of the traveling party joked.
 

Virginia's ‘gnat' pestering opponents
By Steven Pivovar
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

He looks more like a bat boy than Virginia's top bat man at the College World Series.

He's got the build of a jockey with a slight weight problem. At the super regional, Mississippi fans heckled him by asking if he had his driver's license yet.

“I love it when the fans yell at me about being small and telling me I can't do it,'' Virginia second baseman Keith Werman said. “I just try to do what I can for the team and prove them wrong.''

All one needs to know in assessing what the 5-foot-7 Werman has done for Virginia at the CWS is that the 140-pound freshman second baseman is hitting almost five times his weight after the first two games.

Werman had hits in his first four at-bats in the opening game against Louisiana State before grounding out in his last appearance. In Monday's elimination game against Cal State Fullerton, Werman singled in a run with two outs to extend a second inning that eventually saw Virginia score four times. He added an RBI single in the sixth and got robbed of another hit when the Fullerton shortstop speared his line drive.

Werman's .667 start in Omaha has raised his season's average to .406. He's hitting .463 in starting 11 of Virginia's past 17 games. In doing so, Werman has provided the Cavaliers with a much-needed offensive and defensive lift as they've roared down the home stretch.

“I just felt like we needed a change,'' said Virginia coach Brian O'Connor in explaining why he made the move. “If you become the same thing throughout the year, you become stale. And he deserved an opportunity.''

Werman made that case with his work in practice and not with his mouth.

“A lot of guys, if they're as good as Keith is, would have been in the office complaining,'' O'Connor said. “He never said one word. He just kept going about his business and waiting for his turn.''

The move wasn't made on a whim. To get Werman into the lineup, O'Connor had to shift Phil Gosselin, whose work at second throughout the season earned him All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team honors, to left field.

Gosselin hardly was a defensive liability in the field — he's made just two errors at second. Even though Werman has three, he also possesses a special flair with the glove that sets him apart.

“Phil's handled it great because he knew it was the best thing for our team,'' O'Connor said. “And Keith, being in there, has injected something into our team.''

Werman's contributions hardly have caught his teammates and coaches off guard.

“We call him automatic,'' Virginia assistant coach Mark McMullan said. “Whatever we have asked him to do from the minute he has been here, he has done everything and not asked for anything for himself.

“He's getting the rewards off his work.''

Andrew Carraway said opposing pitchers are learning what the Virginia staff already knows.

“No one wants to pitch against him in scrimmage games,'' said Carraway, the Cavaliers' senior right-hander. “He's a gnat up there. No one can get him out. He just battles like crazy.

“His size might be a disadvantage, but he fights like no one else on this team.''

O'Connor praises Werman for his knowledge of the game. That's not surprising. Catchers are usually the smartest guys on the field, and Werman was an all-star at the position for Oakton High School.

If that doesn't impress you, then consider this: as an ambidextrous pitcher, Werman once threw a complete game, pitching 3.1 innings left-handed and 3.2 innings right-handed.

“Nothing he's done surprises me,'' Carraway said.

Nor has anything Werman accomplished in his late-season surge gone to his baby-faced head.

Asked if he's exceeded his on-field expectations in Virginia's first trip to Omaha, Werman nodded yes.

“I would have never have thought I'd be in the situation I am now,'' Werman said. “Things have worked out for me, but I'm just trying to come out every day and play solid baseball. I'm trying to do whatever I can for the team and, fortunately, it's working out.''

In the process, Werman is building a fan club at Rosenblatt Stadium.

“Keith Werman is just winning over the hearts of the people in Omaha,'' O'Connor said. “He's just a special, gutty player who comes up big.''

Even if he stands just 67 inches tall.
 

Throwing strikes is a tougher task in Series games
By Dirk Chatelain
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Andrew Carraway returned to the Virginia dugout Monday after 2.2 innings of relief against Cal State Fullerton. He had a message for his pitching brethren.

Small zone.

Some three hours later, LSU pitcher Louis Coleman was struggling through the first inning against Arkansas. He had a different umpire but made the same observation.

Small zone.

It's hard enough to be a pitcher at the College World Series. You've got 20,000 strangers watching you, give or take a few million on TV. You've got All-America hitters trying to drive your slider to the scoreboard.

And then there's that strike zone. Some pitchers, catchers and coaches say home-plate umpires shrink the zone in Omaha.

“Sometimes in the college game, you'll get three or four inches off the plate if you're hitting your spots with your fastball,” Carraway said. “I learned pretty quick (Monday) that we weren't getting that. They might treat it more like a pro zone. If you watch a pro game, pitchers aren't getting anything off the plate.”

Fullerton coach Dave Serrano traditionally sees the strike zone shrink as he moves through the NCAA tournament. He warned his pitchers before the CWS: Prepare yourself for smaller zones, no matter the umpire.

“That's protocol when you come to Omaha,” Serrano said. “The umpires are the best in the country and they're going to have a little bit tighter zone. They're no different than our players. They're human beings and they're in the limelight, too. So they're going to be a little tight, too.”

Through Tuesday night, there have been 73 walks in eight CWS contests, 4.6 per team per game. The eight qualifiers entering the CWS allowed an average of 3.1 walks per nine innings.

Serrano and others interviewed are quick to point out that smaller zones are no excuse for poor pitching. They don't blame umpires for losses. As long as umpires are consistent, there's little room to complain, they say.

But an umpire calling just one borderline pitch “ball” rather than “strike” can potentially swing an at-bat in the hitter's favor.

Gene McArtor, NCAA coordinator for umpiring, says each umpire may have a slightly different zone. But he doesn't see a general difference between the regular-season zone and the zone in Omaha.

The umpire's charge is interpreting the rule book, McArtor says, which states that the strike zone is “the area over home plate from the bottom of the knee caps to the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants.”

In principal, it's black and white. In practice, calling balls and strikes is a highly subjective task.

Umpire Mark Chapman worked behind the plate during Monday's Cal State Fullerton-Virginia game. He also called balls and strikes for Fullerton's super-regional opener.

Fullerton catcher Dustin Garneau noticed a difference: “He tightened the zone up a little bit.”

During the Texas-Southern Mississippi game Sunday night, the Golden Eagles walked three Longhorns with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, including the winning run. McArtor said home-plate umpire Chuck Lyon called those pitches correctly.

The eight CWS umpires are selected based upon several evaluations. During the first eight CWS games, each umpire spends one game behind the plate. Evaluations during that period, which ended Tuesday night, help determine home-plate assignments for the second half of the CWS.

There's little reason to think the walk numbers will change. Carraway and Coleman said pitchers try to nibble the edges of the plate during the CWS because of the quality of hitters.

“You can't miss over the plate,” Carraway said. “If you're going to miss, you're going to take a ball instead of a home run.”
 

Wahoos' Next CWS Challenge: Arkansas on Wednesday
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 06/16/2009

OMAHA, Neb. – The Virginia baseball team continues its road through Omaha at 7 p.m. Wednesday, taking on Arkansas at Rosenblatt Stadium in an elimination game at the College World Series. The first-ever matchup between the two programs will be televised live on ESPN2.

The winner of the Arkansas-Virginia game will advance to face LSU at 2 p.m. Friday.

Virginia (49-14-1) staved off elimination from the CWS yesterday with the program's first-ever CWS win, 7-5 over Cal State Fullerton. The Cavaliers will be playing in their 65th game this season, tying a school record which was set by the 1996 team.

Arkansas (40-23) won its first CWS game since 1989 with a 10-6 victory over Cal State Fullerton. Monday, the Razorbacks fell into the consolation bracket after suffering a 9-1 loss to LSU. The Hogs went 14-15 in SEC play but got hot in the postseason, winning six straight games – including sweeps of the Norman Regional and Tallahassee Super Regional – until the LSU defeat. Andy Watkins has been the Razorbacks' hottest hitter, going 17-for-29 (.586) with four homers and 18 RBI in the NCAA tournament.

As a team, UVa has broken nine team school records this year. Seven have come on the offensive end: at bats (2295), hits (751), runs (504), doubles (134), triples (28), runs batted in (465), total bases (1112). Two have come on the mound: innings pitched (571.0) and strikeouts (582).

After putting up a career-high four hits Saturday vs. LSU, Keith Werman followed it up with two hits and two RBI Monday. He is 6-for-9 in the CWS and 10-for-23 in the NCAA tourney. Since being inserted into the starting lineup May 10 vs. Duke, Werman is batting a team-best .452 in 15 games (11 starts). UVa is 12-3 in those games.

Noting the Cal State Fullerton Game
• With the victory, UVa extended its school record with 49 wins, a total which is third nationally (LSU 53, Arizona State 50).
• Virginia improved to 6-2 in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and is now 3-0 in elimination contests.
• Virginia eliminated both of the Big West’s national seeds from the NCAA Tournament (No. 6 UC Irvine, No. 2 Cal St. Fullerton).
• UVa, which entered the game third nationally in ERA (3.23), is 45-4 this season when holding opponents to five runs or fewer.
• Virginia hit 7-for-14 (.500) with runners on base after going 2-for-16 (.125) in the Saturday loss to LSU.
• The Cavaliers’ seven runs were their most in an NCAA tournament game this year (previous high was five on four occasions). It was UVa’s highest run total since scoring 11 runs against Duke in the ACC Tournament.
• Andrew Carraway improved to 9-1 this season with his 20th career win. His nine wins this season and 20 wins in his career both tie for sixth on UVa’s single-season and career lists. He has made 73 appearances which ranks fourth on UVa’s career list.
• Danny Hultzen’s stolen base in the seventh inning was the first SB allowed by Cal State Fullerton in the NCAA tournament.


 

Cavs' lineup shuffle
By Curt McKeever | Correspondent
June 17, 2009

 OMAHA, Neb. - For Brian O'Connor, lunchtime decisions here at the College World Series are becoming a lot more complicated than trying to decide what to put on his hamburger.

On Monday, the Cavaliers eliminated No. 2 national seed Cal State Fullerton 7-5 using a shuffled lineup that O'Connor claimed he'd come up with after having scribbled out six other combinations.

Turns out he wasn't kidding.

Before his club worked out at Creighton University on Tuesday in preparation for today's contest against Arkansas, O'Connor pulled a sheet of paper from a bag he was carrying that included six options he was mulling to use against the Razorbacks.

And he wasn't saying that he'd settled on No. 6, either, something that might cause the average baseball fan to think one of two things:

Either he's losing his mind in the pressure cooker, or else he has the kind of confidence that makes him believe no matter who he hits where, they'll have the ability to adjust to what the spot requires.

"Some of them are constants," said O'Connor, noting clean-up man Dan Grovatt, "but once you move your lead-off hitter somewhere else it just changes everything. It's not that 'Geez, this guy doesn't know what his lineup is,' but you've got to adjust with your personnel on how they're doing and make adjustments as you move on. Fortunately, it worked (on Monday)."

With usual leadoff hitter Jarrett Parker hitless in his last three games, O'Connor switched Parker and normal six-hole hitter Tyler Cannon around, left red-hot Franco Valdes and Keith Werman in the Nos. 8 and 9 spots and juggled things so that U.Va. could have a left-right alternation throughout the lineup.

Cannon responded by going 1-for-2 with two walks, Danny Hultzen and Werman each drove in a pair of runs and the Cavs pretty much maxed out their offensive efficiency against All-American Daniel Renken while producing their highest run total in nine games. Two days after they'd produced 14 hits but stranded 14 runners in a 9-5 loss to LSU, Virginia capitalized on nearly every opportunity against the Titans, leaving just three on base while scoring their seven runs in the first six innings.

"There's been some people who haven't gotten the hits like they usually get, and if that guy's slumping the guy behind him is going to pick him up," freshman catcher John Hicks said. "There's always somebody there that's going to get their hits."

Ironically, the guy who's been coming up biggest lately, the freshman second baseman Werman, might not even be in the lineup today if Arkansas does the expected and starts left-handed freshman Drew Smyly.

"Believe it or not," said O'Connor, sounding almost incredulous that he would consider sitting a guy who's 6-for-9 here with three RBI. "I haven't started him against left-handed pitching. I've played (Phil) Gosselin at second base and (John) Barr in left, and then put Keith into the game later on."

If Smyly throws, the switch-hitting Cannon will probably remain in the leadoff spot, while the lefty Grovatt and righty Steven Proscia are likely to be in the 4-5 positions. But facing a lefty definitely would cause O'Connor to consider making numerous adjustments.

No big deal, says the sophomore center fielder Parker, who despite his slump is still No. 2 on the team with a .355 batting average.

"We have confidence in everybody that no matter what hole they're in, they're going to do fine," he said. "I guess it is a little different (for me). Leading off, you try to start things off — in the six-hole, (you're) more of an RBI guy. But I keep the same approach. I'm just staying aggressive trying to make contact."

O'Connor says he believes Parker's recent struggles have resulted from him not seeing the ball as well as he was, but saw some positive signs during a couple of his at-bats against Fullerton. Parker walked and scored, struck out twice and then hit a ball into the left center-field gap that was caught.

"I thought he took some good swings. It wouldn't surprise me at all this next game to see him really break out," O'Connor said. "The kid's a great player. He's too talented for it to not break through. And our team needs him to break through."

Or maybe the Cavaliers will be OK, regardless? They sure seem comfortable working with whatever lineup their coach settles on.

"I think it just shows that wherever you put a guy we feel that that person is going to get the hit that we need," Hicks said. "Anybody on the team, any spot they're in, they can do it."
 

O'Connor ponders starter
By Curt McKeever | Correspondent
June 17, 2009

 OMAHA, Neb. - Robert Morey will have the day off, but every other pitcher besides the right-handed sophomore will be available today as the Cavaliers take on Arkansas facing elimination from the College World Series for a second straight game.

Coach Brian O'Connor said Tuesday he was considering starting right-handed senior Robert Poutier (who hasn't appeared here), left-handed junior Matt Packer (who faced one Fullerton batter on Monday after going three innings against LSU Saturday) or freshman lefty Danny Hultzen (who started Saturday, but went just three innings).

Morey started against Fullerton and went four innings. O'Connor didn't mention right-handed senior Andrew Carraway as a possibility to start against the Razorbacks, but the right-handed senior may still be an option considering that he faced just 11 hitters during a 2 2/3 -inning relief performance Monday.

"I came into (Monday's) game saying we were going to do whatever it takes to get to Wednesday. It's a similar approach that we took to Game 2 (of the super regional) at Ole Miss," O'Connor said. "We pitched everybody we had and figured we'd figure it out the next game, and that's what we're going to do on Wednesday."

O'Connor sounded as if he expected Arkansas to go with left-handed freshman Drew Smyly (3-1, 4.72 ERA).

In his last outing, Smyly allowed one hit over 8 1/3 innings in the Razorbacks' regional-clinching win at Oklahoma. He also was the starter in Arkansas' third game of the SEC tournament against the NCAA tournament's eventual No. 8 national seed Florida.

Tonight is U.Va.'s first game against Arkansas
This will be the first meeting between Virginia and Arkansas, and will match a pair of first-time CWS winners in O'Connor and Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn.

"I talked to Dave the other day. He congratulated me and I congratulated him, but we really don't have a relationship," O'Connor said.

The Cavs' coach does know all about Van Horn, however, as before he took over at Arkansas in 2003, he steered Nebraska from the bottom of the Big 12 to the 2001 and 2002 College World Series.

"He's a great coach. Geez, to do what he did at Nebraska and get that program going is really incredible," the former Creighton player said of the Bluejays' in-state rival located 50 miles from here. "That's unbelievable what they have down there now, and he built that.

"We're just going to take the same approach (against Arkansas) we've been taking all year. Every team that's here is good, so just come out and play our game."

O'Connor an Omaha foodie?
Texas' 70-year-old coach Augie Garrido has become somewhat of a resident food critic for College World Series fans, because of his repeated trips to Omaha. Garrido has no problem making recommendations, either.

But maybe someone should ask O'Connor about the cuisine. He did, after all, grow up across the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

"Anthony's is a good place (for steaks). We used to go there," O'Connor said, before drawing a blank stare.

"Geez, I'm trying to think. Honestly, I haven't been out much. I've been trying to hide out as much as possible.

"I've pretty much eaten all of my meals at the hotel. We took the team to dinner at 360 (another steakhouse), but other than that I really haven't been doing much."

Or maybe he's just been getting what other coaches here can't?

"Home-cooked meals."

Quotable
"I'm starting to come around. It's tough, but I'm starting to realize you've just got to play the game and enjoy the moment. I'll be fine.

You've just got to trust yourself and know you can do it and let it happen." — center fielder Jarrett Parker, who's looking for his first hit here and is 0-for-his-last-15.

U.Va. notes
By Staff Reports
Published: June 17, 2009

Homecoming of sorts
Yesterday found Jeff Lamp in John Paul Jones Arena, where his name and jersey number hang on a banner high above the seats.

Lamp is a career counselor for the NBA Players Association, whose Top 100 camp starts today at U.Va. He'll meet today with about a dozen current NBA players, including Bobby Jackson and Lorenzen Wright, who are interested in moving into coaching.

At U.Va., Lamp was a four-year starter at shooting guard for then-coach Terry Holland. Lamp scored 2,317 points, second only to Bryant Stith on the school's all-time list, and twice was named an All-American. He played in the NBA for the Spurs, Bucks, Pacers and Lakers.

Lamp, who wore No.3, is one of seven players whose numbers have been retired at U.Va. The others are Buzzy Wilkinson (14), Stith (20), Barry Parkhill (40), Wally Walker (41), Sean Singletary (44) and Ralph Sampson (50).

When Lamp played for the Cavaliers, their home was University Hall. He's never been to the JPJ for a U.Va. game, but he first saw the arena during last year's Top 100 camp.

"It's a beautiful building," said Lamp, who grew up in Louisville, Ky., and now lives in Los Angeles.

Capacity crowd
The new coaching staff for men's basketball - head man Tony Bennett, assistants Jason Williford, Ritchie McKay and Ron Sanchez and administrators Brad Soucie and Ronnie Wideman - held its first elite camp this week.

About 150 high school players - more than originally expected - spent Monday and yesterday at Virginia, including Trey Davis, a rising junior who starred for Henrico last season.

The Cavaliers' coaches watched Mychal Parker with particular interest. A 6-5 swingman who attends the Miller School in western Albemarle County, Parker is one of the top prospects in the nation's Class of 2010. The schools he's considering include Maryland, Virginia, Miami and Florida.

Under NCAA rules, Bennett's incoming freshmen, 6-8 Tristan Spurlock and 5-11 Jontel Evans, were allowed to participate in the camp, and they played alongside some of Virginia's recruiting targets. Spurlock and Evans start summer school at U.Va. next month.

One for the ages
Three of the top four attackmen on the men's lacrosse team this season - Danny Glading, Garrett Billings and Gavin Gill - were seniors. Candidates to fill those slots in 2010 will include incoming freshman Connor English.

A left-hander from Long Island, N.Y., English closed his high school career with a remarkable performance. In the state Class C championship game, English scored a career-high nine goals to lead Manhasset to a 16-11 win over LaFayette in Rochester.

"It's unreal. Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this," English told reporters after the game.

Reunion planned
During U.Va.'s run in the NCAA baseball tournament, third baseman Steven Proscia has received a couple of congratulatory text messages from Ryan Cobb.

They were football teammates at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, and they'll be together again at U.Va. next year. Cobb, a rising senior at Don Bosco, recently committed to play football for the Cavaliers.

When he's a freshman at U.Va., Proscia will be a junior.

"Steven is probably one of my biggest mentors," Cobb said yesterday. "He was such a leader.

"My first letter was from Virginia, and I used to kid around with him and say, 'We're probably going to go to the same school.'" - Jeff White
 

Spurlock and Evans shine at camp
By Whitey Reid
Published: June 17, 2009

In a basketball camp setting, it can sometimes be tough to decipher who has game and who doesn’t. Nobody is used to playing with each other, and fouls are called sporadically.

But the one thing that is usually pretty easy to detect is a player’s competitiveness.

Taking part in Virginia’s Elite Camp on Tuesday at John Paul Jones Arena, incoming UVa freshmen Tristan Spurlock and Jontel Evans displayed that quality in spades.

Both players, who were recruited by former coach Dave Leitao, then re-recruited by new coach Tony Bennett, seemed truly happy to finally be on grounds.

“I’m real excited,” said Evans, a 5-foot-11 point guard from Hampton. “It’s been great to meet the coaches more and also the players and stuff. It’s real exciting.

“I waited for a long time. I can’t wait to get to work.”

Evans, who told The Daily Progress that he has academically qualified and is set to begin summer classes on July 5, was diving all over the floor and playing in an aggressive style that should be a welcome addition to the program. On several plays, he showed no hesitation in taking the ball to the basket against bigger players and, somewhat surprisingly, he was able to finish at the rim. Often times, it almost seemed as if Evans was the one seeking the contact.

“That’s how [you] have to play when guys are bigger and stronger,” he said. “You have to expect contact when you go to the hole.”

Evans, who also made a couple of nice passes on the fastbreak, grew up idolizing fellow Hampton native Allen Iverson. Like Iverson, Evans was also a two-sport standout in high school — he was offered a football scholarship by a number of Division I schools, including N.C. State.

“I don’t have any regrets,” said Evans, when asked about picking basketball over football, “but I know I’ll miss it when the season comes.”

On the hardwood this season, Evans will be competing with senior Calvin Baker and sophomore Sammy Zeglinski for time at point guard.

Spurlock, meanwhile, could have a more immediate impact as a wing player. On Tuesday, the 6-foot-8 Maryland native showed off his athleticism, throwing down numerous dunks on the fastbreak, including one alley-oop during an early-afternoon game.

Spurlock is glad to be coming into the program with his buddy Evans. The former AAU teammates are now roommates.

“It’s been fun because we know each other’s games,” Spurlock said. “That’s why we decided to come here together. We felt we could help turn around UVa.”

Spurlock said he’s been a little rusty during Elite Camp since he hadn’t played five-on-five in a while.

“I’m just working on things I can control and have been trying to encourage my teammates,” he said. “I already have a scholarship here, so I’ve been looking to set a lot more people up. I’ve been working on my point-guard skills, my ballhandling and my stamina.”

After losing a game late in the day, Spurlock was visibly upset. He banged a wall behind a basket and could be seen muttering.

“I hate losing, period,” he said. “You could beat me in checkers or rock, paper and scissors and I’m going to be mad.

“I’m going to play you until I win.”

Sounds like both he and Evans could be nice pieces to the puzzle.