Money matters hit state schools' athletic programs
Athletic departments tighten belts to deal with the current recession.
By Mark Berman
981-3125
The Roanoke Times

VIRGINIA
$1.6 million in cuts
Operating budget for 2009-10: $31.4 million
VIRGINIA TECH
$840,000 in cuts
Operating budget for 2009-10:$34.2 million
RADFORD
$300,000 in cuts
Operating budget for 2009-10: $6.6 million
VMI
$390,000 in cuts
Operating budget for 2009-10: $5 million

Virginia Tech's football team will be traveling to its game at Maryland by bus instead of a charter flight.

Teams at VMI and Radford will often be hitting the road the morning of an away game, rather than getting into town the day before and spending the night at a hotel.

At Virginia, athletes have been told to keep their showers short.

Welcome to the new reality of college sports.

The athletic departments of those four universities are cutting costs in the upcoming school year as they deal with the recession.

Because schools fear a decline in revenue, less money will be spent on travel, salaries have been frozen and some jobs have not been filled.

Tech has slashed $840,000 from its athletic budget, while UVa will be making $1.6 million in cuts. VMI and Radford have smaller budgets than their big brothers, but VMI will be cutting $390,000 and Radford will be slicing $300,000.

"I think everybody is ... looking at some level of revenue that might be short of what we all experienced historically, whether it's because of ticket sales, whether it's because of fund raising," UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage said. "We're all anticipating some shortfall.

"It's much better to be proactive [with cuts]. If you don't do it now, you're going to have a much more difficult time down the road."

The economy has already hurt schools' athletic fund-raising efforts.

Tech is going forward with plans to build a football locker-room facility by the 2010 opener, but athletic development director Lu Merritt knows it will take longer to raise money for it than he had once hoped.

"If I talk to a donor, it's going to be interesting to see how comfortable he's going to be in making a pledge," Merritt said. "He may say, 'Come back and see me in a year.'"

Travel restrictions for Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech athletics will have an operating budget of $34.2 million for the 2009-10 fiscal year that begins Wednesday. The budget would have been larger, but athletic director Jim Weaver was worried that ticket or advertising revenue might dip.

He has told teams to stick to nonleague games east of the Mississippi in the upcoming school year, and to try to go no farther than two states away from Virginia for nonleague action.

The guideline is one reason the men's basketball team will begin a home-and-home series with Penn State. There will be a few exceptions to the restrictions, such as the men's basketball game at Iowa for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Each team will be held to the same operating budget it had in 2008-09, instead of the usual increases. That will save about $500,000 from what was planned.

As was the case across the university, most athletic employees did not get raises in 2008-09 -- except for a handful who were guaranteed them in their contracts, such as football coach Frank Beamer and men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg. Most athletic employees won't be getting raises in the upcoming school year, either. That will save the department $140,000.

The department's operating budget does not include scholarships, which will cost $9 million in 2009-10.

The Hokie Club raised $21.6 million through the first 11 months of the 2008-09 fiscal year (through May) for scholarships and capital projects. That's down more than $1 million from the same point a year ago.

Much of that decline is in pledge payments for capital projects.

"I've basically told the donors I've worked with, 'Please don't sell stocks at a loss now. Let's wait and let the market come back,'" Merritt said.

About $400,000 of the decline is in giving to the annual fund, which foots the bill for scholarships and other needs. That drop is because some people have decreased their annual donations.

Football ticket sales have remained strong, though. Tech has sold more than 40,000 season tickets for 2009, including a sellout of the regular seats. Tech still has some season tickets available for the more expensive club seats in the west-side addition.

Football ticket sales down at Virginia

Although Tech athletics finished $284,012 in the black in 2007-08, UVa finished $1.4 million in the red for that fiscal year.

Littlepage intends to cut 5 percent of the operating budget he had planned for the upcoming school year, and bring it down to $31.4 million.

While Tech will be leaving one job unfilled, UVa will be leaving 14 unfilled.

UVa also will be reducing the size of the travel parties for some teams' road games. Media guides might have fewer pages. Renovations to facilities might be delayed.

Teams might be traveling via bus instead of plane on certain trips, or take commercial flights instead of charters. The length of some road trips will be shortened. Foreign travel will be limited.

As at Tech, there will be no raises except in a few cases.

UVa has sold about 30,000 season tickets for the upcoming football season, after selling about 35,000 for the 2008 season. Associate athletic director Dirk Katstra attributes part of that drop to the economy and part to the football team's poor 2008 season.

Fund-raising is also down at UVa. The Virginia Athletics Foundation, which operates by calendar year, had raised $13.2 million for its annual campaign through mid-June. That's down from about $15 million at the same time last year.

"It's a combination of things, like people who have had to reduce their gift," Katstra said. "Some people have had to delay their decision because they're still trying to sort things out. ... And last year we were so heavily skewed earlier in the year with our giving because of our new ticket policy."

The annual campaign excludes the millions raised for capital projects, such as ex-Cav Ryan Zimmerman's recent $250,000 donation to help build a new ballpark.

VMI hurt because of stock market

With just 1,300 students, VMI has one of the smallest enrollments in Division I. That doesn't give VMI a big pool of student fees to help fund the athletic budget.

So the department annually gets more than $1 million in revenue from the college's endowments. But it will be getting less next year.

"We know our endowments are going to be down, ... based on what has happened in the [stock] market," athletic director Donny White said.

The department will have an operating budget of $5 million in 2009-10, which is $390,000 less than planned.

Teams will have less money to spend on travel, equipment and uniforms. No one in the department will get raises, and some jobs will go unfilled.

Fund-raising is down at VMI, like it is at the other three colleges. The Keydet Club hopes to meet its 2008-09 goal of $3.5 million, though.

VMI will spend $3 million on scholarships in 2009-10. White is already wondering if he will have to make scholarship cuts for 2010-11.

"We're prepared to look at that," he said.

Guarantee money will help Radford

Money is also an issue at Radford, which will have a $6.6 million operations budget in 2009-10.

Like Tech, Radford will freeze teams' budgets. That will save $125,000. The department will save another $100,000 because employees won't get raises. One job will go unfilled, and travel costs will be reduced.

"Unless it's an absolute necessity, we would prefer that we don't go on an airplane right now," athletic director Robert Lineburg said.

Radford might have had to whittle some more, but RU teams will be bringing in $60,000 more in game guarantees than in 2008-09.

The men's basketball team will reap $240,000 in guarantees from games at national powers Kansas, Duke and Louisville next season. That team has been told to bring in at least $200,000 in guarantees each season.
 

Cavs still reaping College World Series trip rewards
UVa baseball coach Brian O'Connor says the Omaha appearance has energized the program.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

Even when Virginia was making five NCAA Tournament appearances in coach Brian O'Connor's first five seasons, few people were describing UVa as a "baseball school."

From a non-revenue standpoint, Virginia was identified more closely with lacrosse and soccer, programs that have combined for nine men's and women's national championships in the past 20 years.

Nobody is predicting a baseball national championship for Virginia just yet, but the Cavaliers have never been closer than they were in a recently completed trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

"The response has been unbelievable," said O'Connor, who routinely is stopped by people he doesn't know. "It's amazing what going to the College World Series has done for the visibility of this program. It's changed it forever."

O'Connor doesn't think the greatest effect will be felt in recruiting.

"It's not going to change who we recruit or how we do our recruiting," O'Connor said. "You can't get any better players. If you get any better players, you'll lose them all to the draft."

Four of Virginia's signees were selected in the Major League Baseball draft, headed by Brandon Kline, a right-handed pitcher from Frederick, Md., who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round.

"I think it will be a long summer," said O'Connor, referring to a two-month negotiating window. "Going to the College World Series helps, because kids want that experience. Now we've made it a reality."

Nine current or would-be UVa players were drafted, including juniors Tyler Cannon (shortstop) and Matt Packer and Jeff Lorick (pitchers).

O'Connor said that Cannon, the only UVa player named to the all-College World Series team, will be back. Lorick, drafted by Atlanta in the 20th round, already has signed and struck out three batters for the Danville Braves in a one-inning stint Wednesday at Pulaski.

Packer, selected by Cleveland in the 32nd round, is headed to the Cape Cod League in hopes of convincing the Indians to sweeten their offer. Cannon was a 41st-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

While O'Connor continues to recruit for 2010 and beyond, the school is seeing an increase in donations for a baseball program that recently received a $250,000 gift from former third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, now with the Washington Nationals.

"We're in the midst of a project right now to raise between $4 and $5 million," O'Connor said, "and we're very, very close to it. If we finish that this summer, the plan is to break ground in the fall."

UVa played in front of crowds of more than 10,000 every day at the Oxford (Miss.) Super Regional. LSU, which defeated Texas in two of three games to win the College World Series, averaged 9,600 for its home games.

Capacity at Virginia's Davenport Field is 2,616.

"There will be significant improvements to our facility over the next nine months," O'Connor said. "Initially, none of that will be in additional seating. It will be more a matter of amenities that will enhance future chances of hosting a regional."

Virginia had the No. 6 power rating, according to the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index, but was not among the 16 schools that received invitations to host first-round NCAA games.

Still, O'Connor doesn't think it was about amenities.

"That wasn't an issue at all," he said, "[but] you don't know what requirements will be in the future as people like South Carolina and LSU are building $40 million stadiums. The fact that we don't have an umpires' locker room, the fact that we don't have a locker room for the visiting team or a rest room in the visitors' dugout, those are all things that the NCAA could make mandatory."

O'Connor doesn't know why the Cavaliers were sent on the road and doesn't buy the theory that the Cavaliers were penalized for a weak nonconference schedule.

"The nonconference schedule is supposed to be a factor in the RPI," he said. "If we had the No. 6 RPI in the country, we can only assume that the nonconference schedule was taken into account."

O'Connor in recent months has set up a three-game series with East Carolina for 2010 in Greenville, N.C., and 2011 in Charlottesville. The Pirates were so highly regarded this year that they served as a host team for the first round of regionals.

O'Connor also has been in negotiations to play in the Minute Maid Classic in Houston in 2011. That tournament annually draws the likes of Texas, Rice and Baylor.

"It's hard to get into those tournaments," O'Connor said. "You can't just call and say, 'We want to be in it.' I'll continue to look at scheduling opportunities, [but] there are very few schools that have the requirements on their players like this institution.

"We're going to miss three Fridays automatically to play series in our league, so there are limitations on what you can do. They've got to be here for school. We can't run down and play South Carolina on a Tuesday and Wednesday in the middle of the week."

UVa's only nonconference road game this year was against Virginia Commonwealth at the Diamond in Richmond.

Virginia Tech coach Pete Hughes said that O'Connor's scheduling philosophy is consistent with the other teams in the ACC.

"Selfishly, if you have the money or the guarantees to bring people in to play and you can keep your kids in class, I'm going to do that," Hughes said. "Anybody who knocks Virginia or would knock us for playing at home in our nonconference games, they're dying to do it themselves."

Virginia boosters will need to shell out money to improve their facilities and, ultimately, to make sure they hold onto O'Connor.

"My contract is in a really good position right now and continues to be addressed by our administration," he said. "They're completely on top of it, and I don't think Virginia fans have anything to worry about.

"If I ever were to take another job, I would have to commute because my family would never want to go."
 

College baseball: Catonsville grad enjoyed World Series
Davis will return to Cavalier staff for final season
By Craig Clary
cclary@patuxent.com
Posted 6/24/09

After pitcher Neal Davis was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 39th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, the 2006 Catonsville High graduate had to make one of the biggest decisions of his life.

Should the lefthander pass up a four-year scholarship offer to the University of Virginia or toil in the Orioles' farm system?

Given the vagaries of playing in the minors, his choice to attend Virginia seemed to be the right one after the 2009 Cavaliers (49-15-1) set a school record for victories and reached the College World Series for the first time in school history.

For one thing, the team was treated like celebrities at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., where the College World Series has been played since 1950.

"The atmosphere of playing in front of 25,000 people was unbelievable," said Davis, who was in awe of all the autograph seekers and rabid fans. "I wouldn't trade it (the experience) for anything in the world."

Moreover, Davis is an excellent student whose education matters to him.

The junior was a member of the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Baseball Team as a sophomore and was accepted into Virginia's Darden School of Business.

"I really didn't expect anything," he said after being passed up in the 2009 draft. "I'll be happy to get my degree."

"It's an honor to be accepted in that business school," said Virginia pitching coach Karl Kuhn. "He is a tremendous young man and a tremendous student athlete. He's going to be successful in whatever he does outside of baseball."

Davis opened the season as a starter, throwing 11 straight scoreless innings with two victories before tendonitis and bursitis in his shoulder forced him to miss three weeks of action.

The injury relegated him to spot duty out of the bullpen.

While Davis didn't pitch in the Irvine Regional, the Super Regional or the College World Series, he did come close to making appearances, including once in a 4-3 elimination loss to Arkansas in 12 innings.

"I was warming up in the last inning," said Davis, who was ready to relieve Andrew Carraway, a 12th-round pick of the Seattle Mariners this year, in the 13th inning.

In the Super Regional against California, Davis was warming up with a lefthander coming to bat in the seventh inning when Virginia manager Brian O'Connor made a visit to starting pitcher Carraway on the mound.

"I definitely did think I was going to get in," said Davis, who happily watched Carraway work out of the jam and lead the team to victory.

Davis, the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year in 2006 after going 7-2 with an 0.44 earned run average and 112 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings for the 17-6 Comets, had his best season as a sophomore with the Cavaliers. He had a 4-0 mark with a 1.58 ERA and a string of 27 2/3 straight scoreless innings.

"If his sophomore year was his junior year, he definitely would have been drafted," Kuhn said. "He's a mid-to-upper-80's guy with a tremendous changeup and those guys go a long way."

This year, the 6-foot-6 southpaw made 16 appearances and posted a 4.63 ERA while striking out 16 in 23 1/3 innings.

"He is the consummate team guy," Kuhn said. "His contributions to the team were very, very important. I know he is going to be gangbusters next year."

One of his highlights came in a 6-3 win over North Carolina State when Davis was summoned with runners on first and third and one out in the seventh inning of a game the Cavaliers led, 4-3.

He struck out three of the next four batters to help preserve the victory.

Another highlight was competing against former Comet teammate and close friend Adam Kolarek, who pitches for the University of Maryland.

Davis pitched an inning in a 17-2 victory over the Terps a night after Kolarek tossed 1 1/3 innings in an 8-7 Maryland triumph.

"Last year we both pitched in relief in the same game and I got the win," Davis said.

Kolarek won his first three decisions this summer in the Coastal Plains League in North Carolina's Outer Banks while Davis opted to focus on weightlifting and conditioning in Charlottesville.

Next summer, he hopes to see more of Omaha.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we are back there again," he said.
 

Family ties help shape UVa staff
Virginia assistant coach Ron Sanchez got to know Tony Bennett's sister while both were at Indiana.
Doug Doughty

As with some of the other moves Tony Bennett has made during his coaching career, the hiring of Ron Sanchez involved a family connection.

While Bennett is most closely associated with his father, Sanchez comes from another branch of the Bennett family tree.

Bennett, introduced April 1 as Virginia's new men's basketball coach, is the son of former Wisconsin and Washington State coach Dick Bennett. But he also has an older sister, Kathi, who was the head women's coach at Indiana University from 2000-2005.

Sanchez, 36, was a volunteer assistant with the men's team at Indiana from 2001-2003.

Sanchez's connection with the Hoosiers was through a fellow New Yorker, Mark Jackson, who played for the Indiana Pacers.

"I used to work his camps in Indianapolis," Sanchez said. "Through that, I was able to build a relationship with [Indiana coach] Mike Davis and things just kind of took off from there."

Sanchez, one of nine siblings, was born in the Dominican Republic but moved to New York in time to start the second grade. He went to James Monroe High School in the Bronx, N.Y., a baseball power whose more recent graduates include Danny Almonte of Little League baseball fame.

Yankee Stadium was located on 161st Street and the Sanchez family lived on 163rd Street.

"I could see the lights from our apartment building," said Sanchez, who spent many a game in the Yankee Stadium bleachers with tickets provided by the Boys Club.

Sanchez played college basketball at the State University of New York at Oneonta and was named conference player of the year in 1996. He was at SUNY-Oneonta for one year as an assistant coach before spending two seasons at Delhi (N.Y.) College, a junior-college power at the time.

While the Indiana job didn't pay anything, it had plenty of rewards. There Sanchez met his future wife, Hoosiers women's basketball standout Tara Jones.

So, it was Kathi Bennett that provided Sanchez' introduction to the Bennett family, with Dick Bennett not far behind.

"At the time, he was retired," Sanchez said. "He would come down and watch her team practice and give her input here and there, just like he did for us. He's probably the most approachable coach I've ever met."

When Dick Bennett came out of retirement to take the Washington State job, daughter Kathi persuaded him to hire Sanchez for a staff that included Bennett's son, Tony. (Kathi Bennett currently is an assistant at Wisconsin).

For three years, Sanchez was director of basketball operations. He became a full-fledged assistant when Dick Bennett retired in 2006 and turned over the reins to Tony.

That meant Sanchez took to the road for the first time as a recruiter "and he took to it like a fish to water," Tony Bennett said this week. "It was a more natural post for him than operations. He's a relationships guy."

Sanchez relished the idea of a possible move to Virginia.

"We have a 6-month-old son," Sanchez said, "and when this came up, I said, 'Wow, this is going to be great. I can actually drive to New York City. I don't have to put my son on a plane.'

"On top of that, I get to work closely [in New York] with people I have known for a long time, whether it's in the AAU circuits or high-school coaches."

Sanchez has seen some of the success Virginia has enjoyed over the years in New York, signing players like Marc Iavaroni, Olden Polynice, Mel Kennedy, John Johnson, Willie Dersch and McDonald's All-Americans Majestic Mapp and Sylven Landesberg.

"We tried to recruit the New York area at Washington State," Sanchez said, "but to be honest, if a kid was good enough to play at Washington State, he was good enough to play any place in between."

Sanchez and video coordinator Ronnie Wideman followed Bennett from Washington State to Virginia, and there was a possibility of a third assistant coming east before new Cougars' coach Ken Bone appointed former Bennett aide Ben Johnson to his staff.

"Everybody was placed," Bennett said. "That was important to me."

Bennett has expressed nothing but appreciation for the opportunity he was given by Washington State, but it is clear that he and his staff like the idea of recruiting for Virginia.

"When you step in a home, you can answer every question confidently," Sanchez said. "They can't say, 'What about the weather,' or 'what about the facilities,' 'or what about the education,' or 'what about the population [and] the breakdown between ethnicities?'

"It's a university that really can sell itself. You don't need smoke and mirrors."
 

Cavs get commitment - Doug Doughty

More than 20 years after Virginia finished second on the greatest player to come out of the Nichols School, Christian Laettner, the Cavaliers received a player to be named later in 6-8, 215-pound Will Regan.

Chris Wallace of cavscorner.com quoted Regan's father, Larry, as confirming his son's commitment to new Virginia coach Tony Bennett.

Regan, who averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds as a junior, picked the Cavaliers over Stanford, Maryland, Arizona State and Providence.
 

Cavalier Flashback: Anthony Poindexter Continues To Inspire Virginia by Ben Gibson (Columnist)
June 26, 2009

Perhaps there is no more enigmatic team in college football this season than the Virginia Cavaliers.

Virginia has suffered from uncompromised mediocrity these past eight seasons under Al Groh, a condition that almost cost the head coach his job this past year.

After some tough talks, Groh kept his position but just about everybody else on the staff has changed.

High amounts of coaching turnover can cause problems for any program, and Virginia will now have its fourth different defensive coordinator in as many years not to mention a completely different offensive system and three questionable quarterbacks fighting for playing time.

No wonder no one knows what to make of the Cavaliers in 2009.

Still, Virginia fans can take solace in the fact that a familiar face will be roaming the sidelines for the Cavaliers for another year.

Of course, that should be no big surprise. His entire career changed with his decision to stay in Charlottesville one more year.

Anthony Poindexter was an ACC juggernaut.

The safety played with reckless abandon for four years at Virginia en route to winning ACC Defensive Player of the Year. His strength and speed made NFL scouts drool on their clipboards.

After being named an All-American his junior year, Poindexter was faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to declare early.

Poindexter had already had a stellar college career. As a red-shirt freshman, Poindexter played for the arguably the greatest Virginia team of all-time in 1995. It was the young Poindexter who assisted on the final tackle of Warrick Dunn in the historic victory over Florida State.

Virginia's win marked the first loss for the Seminoles in the ACC ever. It also helped lead the Cavaliers to their second ACC title in school history and a Peach Bowl victory over Georgia.

His sophomore year, Poindexter set a school-record with 98 tackles. More than a few of them came against North Carolina, a great game where UVA made a big comeback late to upset the top-10 ranked Tar Heels, 20-17.

That loss helped send Carolina coach Mack Brown to Texas and helped gain Virginia some bragging rights in the rivalry.

With all those great accomplishments, the temptations of the NFL had to be alluring.

However, Poindexter was loyal to his school. He knew the depth of the Virginia defensive backfield put them in position to contend.

Indeed the Cavaliers were at one point ranked in the top 10 that season and entered their final ACC game with a 5-2 conference record.

Poindexter had 73 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions heading into the N.C. State contest. Another great season for the sure-fire NFL prodigy.

Well one play changed the course of Poindexter's life forever.

Wolfpack wide receiver Charles Coleman caught the ball and Poindexter made the play as usual.

The cost of that tackle though was extreme, Poindexter twisted his left leg. In the process he tore not only his ACL but two other ligaments.

Poindexter's career at Virginia was over in a flash.

It's the nightmare all college football players have. Now his NFL dreams had been completely dimmed with a painful reconstructive surgery.

Instead of going in the first round, Poindexter's name was not called until the seventh and final round.

The Baltimore Ravens took a chance on the ailing superstar and after two uninspiring years on special teams he was cut.

One play had ended Poindexter's playing career, but that's not where the story ends.

The Cavalier returned home to Charlottesville to help coach a team that meant so much to him.

In 2003, Poindexter returned to the sidelines as a graduate assistant for the football team.

The decision had to be nearly a no-brainer for Groh, he too was a former defensive starter and Virginia alumni.

By bringing back Poindexter he was connecting Virginia to some of its glory days under coach George Welsh.

That season the Cavaliers recovered from an early season injury to quarterback and reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year Matt Schaub to reach the Continental Tire Bowl for a second straight year.

The defensive backfield put on a performance Poindexter could be proud of on that day. Virginia became the team to break wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald's consecutive games with a touchdown streak as the Cavaliers pulled off their second straight bowl victory over Groh against the Pittsburgh Panthers.

As one of the greatest safeties in school history, it seemed curious that coach Groh's next move was to put Poindexter at the position of running backs coach.

Unorthodox? Perhaps, but the gamble seems to have worked.

In his first year as Virginia's running back coach, the Cavaliers had the second greatest improvement in rushing average in the history of the ACC.

Behind the power of the running tandem of Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman, Virginia marched out to tie its longest winning streak in school history and peaked at the No. 5 ranking in the country.

Both men are now ranked in the top 10 in career rushing yards at Virginia.

In 2005, Virginia had some injury issues at the running back position but still managed to use the feet of quarterback Marques Hagans to pull off a huge victory over Florida State on the 10-year anniversary of their historic win.

After the departure of Lundy, the pressure was on Poindexter to find the next running back for Virginia. Well it's safe to say he succeeded.

First it was Jason Snelling, a converted fullback who used his strength to help the Cavaliers average over 122 rushing yards per game.

Then it was Mikell Simpson, a man who started his career fourth on the depth chart, who single-handedly helped Virginia take out Maryland in 2007 en route to a Gator Bowl appearance.

Last year it was Cedric Peerman, a man who in many ways mirrored his mentor Poindexter.

Both men believed in playing to the whistle, and many of Peerman's best plays came when the defense was already slacking off. Peerman typically refused to be tackled by one man and it resulted in big plays.

Both men knew the importance of setting an example, they never complained and they never showed fatigue or pain. They were players that fans could be proud to cheer towards.

Peerman finished his senior year with a disappointing record but a strong performance.

His 127 rushing yards and touchdown against Georgia Tech gave the Cavaliers their biggest win of the season, but it was his 180-yard, two touchdown effort against East Carolina that turned around a season that appeared doomed for the dumpster.

Poindexter's unit has clearly seen success during his time. So imagine the thrill Virginia fans must have to hear that their famed safety is finally getting the chance to return to his roots and coach the secondary this season.

"Coach gave me the opportunity to come back and coach the secondary," Poindexter said in a recent interview with virginiasports.com. "It's always something I wanted to do. To have the chance to come back and coach these guys, which I have a lot of great players at their positions, it's a great challenge but I'm excited about doing it."

He is not the only one excited.

If Virginia is going to make some noise in the ACC this season, it will have to rely on the strength of its secondary. While the defensive backfield has been a nightmare at times during Groh's tenure, this corps of veterans is perhaps the biggest strength heading into this season.

"I think this group is as deep as I've seen at this University, even when I played with Ronde [Barber]," Poindexter said.

The compliment comes with high expectations though. For a program that has taken on the image of the stoic and hard-nosed Groh, it is nice to see some energy from Poindexter on the sidelines.

The cornerback knew a thing or two about making a big play and he is trying to instill that into his young players.

"The first thing you have to overcome is that 'I'm going to get beat deep,'" Poindexter said. "The kids have got to understand that it's going to happen to everyone. You've just got to play fast, try to make plays and do the system."

Big plays in the secondary will be a big key for the Cavaliers this season. Last year, Virginia's defense was ranked ninth in conference in interceptions and 10th in turnover margin.

Considering that three of Virginia's four losses in November came by 10 points or less, one big play on defense could have meant the difference between a bowl game and a long off-season.

So why not bring in a man ranked fifth in school history in interceptions?

"Play hard and good things will happen for you," Poindexter said.

As the longest tenured staff member at Virginia behind coach Groh, Poindexter now has a chance to shape the image of the program.

Without a doubt, it is his endless hustle and energy that Virginia so desperately needs.

When Poindexter roamed the field for the Cavaliers, it was his fearlessness that struck fear in opposing offenses.

Poindexter's mission now will be bring the swagger back to the Orange Crush defense with his young apprentices.

It is not an easy task, but the Cavalier legend has made a legacy by succeeding in difficult positions.

Open season on quarterbacks
Tech and UVa both looking at two
By Doug Doughty

If you’re a Division I-A football fan and your favorite team hasn’t taken a commitment from a quarterback, you better hope it doesn’t need one.

I forget who it was (maybe John Shuman) who noted that all the best quarterbacks commit early for fear that their top choices won’t wait on them.

That may have been the case with Andrew Hendrix, a strong-armed quarterback from Moeller High in Cincinnati, whose commitment to Notre Dame was reported Friday.

Virginia fans may have been puzzled several weeks back when UVa took a commitment from quarterback Tyler Brosius from Waynesville, N.C., considering that Hendrix was still on their board, but the Cavaliers are looking pretty smart now.

With virtually every passing day, there comes news that another quarterback has made a commitment. Wake Forest got one this week from Tanner Price, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound signal-caller from Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.

Price completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,130 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior but apparently that wasn’t impressive enough to get an offer from the hometown University of Texas.

Price was the best quarterback at a one-day Wake Forest camp, according to rivals.com, and the Deacons were able to get him before his stock took off. His best offers to that point were from Stanford, Rice, Tulsa and Louisiana Tech.

A one-day camp was also the venue where Virginia decided to make an offer to another quarterback, 6-2, 190-pound Stephen Morris from Monsignor Pace in Miami Shores, Fla. UVa might have the edge over Purdue, but offers from Miami and Mississippi certainly would elevate those two programs.

You might wonder why Virginia, with plans to sign between 14 and 18 players, would devote two grants to quarterbacks. As opposed to Brosius, a 6-foot-3, 235-pounder who is said to have “all the throws,” Morris is more of a dual threat who could be a prospect at more than one position.

That’s what a lot of teams are doing – taking two quarterbacks, with one recruited as an “athlete.” Both of the quarterbacks who have committed to Virginia Tech are described as “dual threat” but Ricardo Young is faster (4.52 40) while Mark Leal (6-1, 190) is sturdier.

Look for both to get a long look as Tyrod Taylor’s eventual successor, but the possible range of positions is wider for Young (6-1, 170).

PRICE WASN’T THE only quarterback to commit to an ACC program this week. On Tuesday, Boston College took a commitment from 6-4, 185-pound Joshua Bordner, described by rivals.com as a “pro-style” quarterback out of Century High School in Eldersburg, Md.

(I lived in Maryland for 12-13 years, counting summers while I was in college, and I had never heard of Eldersburg until today. If I’m reading the map correctly, it’s northwest of Baltimore).

Other ACC teams and the quarterbacks from whom they have received commitments:

CLEMSON – No listed quarterbacks, although 6-foot-, 170-pound “athlete” Joe Craig from Gaffney (S.C.) High School attempted 55 passes last year. He committed May 17. The Tigers, Maryland and Florida State all have offers out to uncommitted Bethlehem, Pa., quarterback Anthony Gonzalez.

DUKE – The Blue Devils have commitments from Brandon Connette, a 6-2, 190-pounder from Corona, Calif., who also was offered by Stanford, and from fellow rivals.com three-star prospect Anthony Boone from Matthews, N.C. Boone is the dual threat.

FLORIDA STATE – No quarterbacks yet. The Seminoles are listed as having offered four-star Miami Central quarterback Jeffrey Godfrey, but Godfrey’s size (5-11, 167) would suggest that he might play another position. The Seminoles like the above-named Gonzalez, who passed for 1,580 yards and rushed for 1,697 as a junior.

GEORGIA TECH – No quarterbacks yet. The Yellow Jackets are only in the market for dual-threat quarterbacks, with the emphasis on running. Levi Barber from Edison High School in Alexandria is being listed with Tech; he’s the brother of Virginia Tech freshman Ben Barber.

MARYLAND – On May 11, the Terps took a commitment from Tyler Smith, a 6-4, 195-pounder from Easton, Pa., where he threw for 2,952 yards and 35 touchdowns last season. Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Syracuse also offered him, according to rivals.

MIAMI – No quarterbacks yet. Got to believe they’re looking in the wake of Robert Marve’s transfer to Purdue. Like the Seminoles, they have offered Godfrey.

NORTH CAROLINA – No quarterbacks yet. UNC has an offer out to 6-3, 190-pound pro-style quarterback Jesse Scroggins from Lakewood, Calif.

N.C. STATE – No quarterbacks yet and not much buzz surrounding a QB search.

BY THE WAY, rivals is showing Virginia, Virginia Tech and Duke with offers out to four-star Orchard Lake, Mich., quarterback Robert Bolden (6-4, 195) but I’ve got to believe that Bolden’s information has not been updated.

The rivals board doesn’t show it, but the Cavaliers are also involved with four-star New Orleans quarterback Munchie Legeaux, according to Jamie Oakes of cavscorner.com. Got to love that name.

Other quarterbacks with ACC offers include 6-5, 205-pound Sean Robinson from Rochester, Ill. (Boston College); 6-2, 205-pound Tarean Austin from Tampa, Fla. (Duke); 6-2, 172-pound Devin Burns from Columbus, Ga. (Maryland), and 6-2, 190-pound Tim Smith from Fort Pierce, Fla. (Boston College).

 

White ready for the best
Ridgefield's White prepares for Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic
By Dan Farrand
Staff Writer
Updated: 06/25/2009 11:44:06 PM EDT

Matt White has played with and against some of the best lacrosse players in Connecticut.

Saturday, the Ridgefield senior will be playing against the best the country has to offer.

White will take the field for the North team, which will battle its South counterpart in the fourth annual Under Armour All-America Classic at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Field in Baltimore at 8 p.m.

The Tiger attackman was just one of 44 players in the nation selected to play in the lacrosse showcase, which will be aired on ESPNU.

"I'm really excited," White said. "This should be a great game and it's a great way to showcase the game of lacrosse. I love the game, so to have a chance to help promote it is really exciting."

White is the only representative from the Nutmeg State, but he certainly won't feel alone in Baltimore.

The Ridgefield native is just one of six Virginia recruits who will be taking part of the game.

And Cavaliers coach Dom Starsia may get a sneak preview at one of his future attack lines if White takes the field with fellow Virginia signees Connor English (Manhasset, N.Y.) and Nick O'Reilly (Rockville Center, N.Y.).

White also said he is hoping to see some time with Somers (N.Y.) attackman Joe Marasco, who White often worked out with this summer.

"It's going to be incredible to be on the field with so many great players," White said. "It's going to be a sort of preview to next year, playing with Connor and Nick. When

you've got so many good players on the field, there is going to be some great lacrosse on display."

And if the trio gets on the field together, they'll likely be playing for keeps, especially if they find themselves standing across from three of their future teammates.

On the South side, Virginia recruits Harry Prevas (Towson, Md.) and Howie Long (Ivy, Va.) will be manning the poles and future Cavalier midfielder Chris LaPierre (Medford, N.J.) could be on the turf as well.

"I'm sure it will make for some good dorm talk next year," White joked. "So, I guess there is a lot on the line."

And White is thrilled for whatever awaits him in Charlottesville, Va.

"It's going to be amazing, having the chance to compete for a national championship every year," White said. "Obviously, the game will have a new pace, but I'm excited. As a lacrosse player, this is the opportunity you dream of."

And while White will be on the field with 43 other future Division I players, to him Saturday will be a somewhat sad day as his brilliant high school career comes to a close.

In his four years at Ridgefield, White racked up awards and records, being named an All-American twice, All-State three times and All-FCIAC all four years.

As a senior, he was also named Player of the Year by the Connecticut High School Lacrosse Coaches Association (CHSLCA), the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA), the Western Connecticut Lacrosse Officials Association (WCLOA) and MSG Lax Report.

White tallied 50 goals and 64 assists in 2009 and finishes his career with 399 points (196 goals, 203 assists).

But the awards and the numbers mean little compared to the program's first FCIAC championship he and his teammates brought home this year.

"That's where (Ridgefield) should be every year," White said. "We belong among the best in the state. Coach (Roy) Colsey is a great coach. He's done an unbelievable job in just one year."

And White believes there is another, well, him, in the Tigers' future.

"Hopefully, there is another freshman phenom just waiting for his chance," White said. "I hope someone comes along and is better than me."

 

Charlotte's Ville: English Star Lands at UVA
by Clare Lochary | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff | The Blague from Prague
Team England standout Charlotte "Charlie" Finnigan backpacked the U.S. following the 2007 U-19 championships with teammate Kate Newall -- each blindly hoping to earn a roster spot at a Division I college. Newall landed at Notre Dame, and Finnigan will play at Virginia beginning in the fall.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Charlottesville, Virginia is an extremely American place -- the platonic ideal of a college town nestled into the Blue Ridge mountains, founded by U.S. president Thomas Jefferson and populated by prep school grads in critter pants and boat shoes.

That made it that much more surprising for Cavaliers women's lacrosse coach Julie Myers when a spunky English girl turned up on her doorstep, looking for a spot on her roster.

"She brought something to our office that was unique, and we were really intrigued. She had the U-19 pedigree, but really, her personality kind of won us over," Myers said of her first English recruit, Charlotte "Charlie" Finnigan.

Finnigan, an attacker for Team England, took a bold approach to her lacrosse career. After playing for England's under-19 team in 2007 outside Toronto, she and teammate Kate Newall took off on an American road trip from North Carolina to Brown, stopping to call on different Division I coaches along the way.

"People looked at us like we were nuts. They said, 'What are you doing? No one backpacks through America,'" said Finnigan. "But we wanted to play a high style of lacrosse, the best, and the U.S. college system is the only place you can get that."

So Finnigan and Newall peddled their U1-9 DVDs up and down the East Coast, hoping to get a bite. When they showed up in Charlottesville, Myers was already aware of Finnigan from buzz at the U-19 tournament. She and her assistants had done a whirlwind tour of Toronto to support the Virginia-bound recruits on the American roster. They heard good things about Team England and the tall blonde attacker who made them look like contenders, but were really more concerned with closing the deal with Josie Owen, memorably the only U.S. U-19 player who did not make an early commitment to college.

(Owen, a midfielder, eventually chose Virginia.)

Then Finnigan and Newall (who now plays midfield for the University of Notre Dame) showed up in her office, naïve about the NCAA recruiting process but worldly in a way Myers rarely sees amongst American teenagers.

"Just meeting her in our office, and hearing how many things she'd done on her own, there's a maturity and confidence there. I told her, 'You know what? You've navigated more states than most high school kids, especially without a parent,'" said Myers.

"She's literally toured the world, with a backpack and a buddy. I bet you she ends up getting a lot of our kids to go and travel in the summer, Charlie style. And she does it without thinking it's unique or cool."

Finnigan has the lacrosse goods, too. She is the leading scorer in the British University Lacrosse League, and has four goals and one assist thus far in the 2009 FIL World Cup with limited minutes. (She's one of the youngest players on the English roster.)

After seeing her on Team England's February and October tours in the U.S., Myers was convinced Finnigan could compete in the ACC.

"She's a true attacker and she understands how to set an offense up. We're excited to get her, lacrosse-wise," said Myers.

Because Finnigan started her one-woman campaign to be a Cavalier late on the recruiting calendar, she spent the 2008-09 school year at the University of Loughborough, studying sport science. When she transfers to Virginia, she plans to major in either psychology or music. (In addition to being an athlete, Finnigan sings vocals in an acoustic band called Everyday People and plays the flute.) Either way, she's pleased to be off on another new adventure.

"It's not just the lacrosse. It's that whole new culture. I'm excited about that," said Finnigan.

Before she departs for UVA, Finnigan has some unfinished business with Team England. The English entered the tournament with medal ambitions, but posted a disappointing 1-3 record in the round robin, including a heartbreaking 10-9 collapse against Canada. England plays Japan, a team it defeated 20-3 earlier in the week, in the first round of medal competition today. The winner of that game will face the winner of the U.S.-Ireland game in the semifinals.

England stayed with the U.S. in the teams' World Cup opener for a half, playing to a 6-6 tie before falling 17-8, and Finnigan and her teammates believe they can go the distance.

"There's nothing in it between the top three or four teams. I think anyone would be able to win it," said Finnigan.

A bold attitude got Finnigan to Charlottesville. It might just get her into the winner's circle in Prague, too.