Courtney moves to top of U.Va. assistants list
Former Cav Williford out of the running for spot on Leitao's staff
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jul 5, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Providence assistant Bill Courtney has emerged as the leading candidate to fill the opening on basketball coach Dave Leitao's staff at the University of Virginia.

Jason Williford, who started 83 games in his career at U.Va., learned this week that he's no longer under consideration for the post at his alma mater.

Reached yesterday, Leitao said no decision had been made but acknowledged, "We're getting closer."

Williford, a graduate of Richmond's John Marshall High, is one of Jeff Jones' assistants at American University. Jones was Williford's coach at U.Va.

Courtney, who starred at Bucknell, is a 1988 graduate of Robert E. Lee High in Springfield. He spent nine seasons as an assistant to Jim Larranaga at George Mason before taking a job at Providence in June 2005.

Williford was a Boston University assistant when Leitao took over at Virginia in April 2005. The next month, Williford turned down an offer to become the Cavaliers' director of basketball operations, a position that would not have allowed him to recruit or to work with players during practices.

Division I coaching staffs will spend most of this month on the road recruiting. The next evaluation period begins tomorrow. Leitao said he didn't know if he would fill out his staff this week or when the new assistant would start recruiting.

U.Va. has commitments from two players - point guard Sam Zeglinski and swingman Eric Wallace - for 2007-08.

 

Williford off Leitao's candidate list
Courtney still in the running for open assistant job; other possibilities exist
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
July 4, 2006

You can scratch at least one name off the list. Who else is on the list, and who sits atop it, remains a bit unclear.

On Tuesday, The Daily Progress learned that Jason Williford is no longer a candidate to fill the vacant assistant position on Virginia coach Dave Leitao’s staff.

Williford, a former UVa player, was thought to have the inside track on the spot, which opened when Gene Cross left for Notre Dame. The former Virginia captain, now an assistant coach at American, helped lead the Cavaliers to four straight postseason berths, including a trip to the Elite Eight during his senior year in 1995.

A source said Leitao liked Williford, but “wanted to go in another direction.”

With Williford out of the picture, the only known outside candidate for the job is Providence assistant Bill Courtney.

However, sources say Leitao has also had talks with a pair of East Coast-based candidates who have previous head-coaching experience. Their identity remains a mystery. On Monday, former James Madison coach Sherman Dillard denied a rumor that he was in the hunt.

Courtney, a Springfield native, just completed his first season at Providence. Before that, he was an assistant at George Mason under Jim Larranaga for nine years.

When reached by phone on Tuesday evening, Courtney confirmed that he was still in the running for the job, but declined further comment.

The possibility also remains that Drew Diener, Virginia’s director of basketball operations, is in the mix, although that could be a long shot if Leitao wants somebody with experience. Diener is only 26.

Williford played under former Virginia coach Jeff Jones, who he now works under at American. The Eagles are scheduled to play in UVa’s new John Paul Jones Arena this season.

The spot on Leitao’s staff has been open since May 25.

Leitao could not be reached for comment.

 

UVa recruit Lalich off to Elite camp
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
July 5, 2006

Virginia football fans should be excited that Cavalier recruit Peter Lalich is one of the 12 quarterbacks around the nation invited to the 2006 Elite 11 quarterbacks camp, which will be held later this month in Southern California.

Only the top dozen senior high school QBs in the country are invited to this prestigious annual event, which has seen the likes of Matt Leinart, Vince Young, Brodie Croyle, Carson Palmer, David Carr, Ben Roethlisberger (who Lalich draws comparison to) Drew Weatherford, Kyle Orton, Chris Leak, Tim Tebow, Casey Clausen and Brock Berlin among its alumni.

Lalich was so excited when he learned of his invitation to the camp that he immediately called UVa offensive coordinator Mike Groh, one of the main reasons the West Springfield passer chose the Cavaliers over several of the nation’s football powerhouses. While there, Lalich will work closely with noted quarterback guru Roger Theder, who has spent time with many of the top passers in the country over the years.

In fact, Theder has already been in close contact with Lalich. The two have been working on Virginia’s offensive concepts, reading defenses, protections and the passing tree.

Some of the other QBs invited include Stephen Garcia of Tampa, Fla., and three QBs from Texas: Brock Mansion (committed to Cal); Ryan Mallett (Michigan); and Jarrett Lee (LSU). Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame), Pat Bostick (Pitt), and Willy Korn (Clemson), are also among those invited along with Hampton’s Tyrod Taylor (uncommitted).

Grades smite Smith

Virginia late pickup Gavin Smith, who reneged on a previous commitment to N.C. State, and committed to the Cavaliers late in last winter’s football recruiting process, has been rejected for admission.

While Smith, a physical defensive tackle from Raleigh, N.C., is eligible by NCAA standards, he didn’t meet UVa’s admission standards. School officials asked him to prep for a year at Fork Union Military Academy, but Smith declined and, we assume, will enroll elsewhere … perhaps even N.C. State.

Welcome back, Bobby

One of my favorite Bobby Cremins stories from his days at Georgia Tech involved the weekly ACC teleconference call between coaches and sportswriters. Each coach would have a reserved time slot every week to field questions, or as former Wake Forest coach Dave Odom used to do, cover all possible subjects with a 10-minute opening statement that left no room for questions.

Anyway, one day Cremins joined the call and, every so often, writers kept hearing all these gurgling, bubbling sounds. We later got Cremins to fess up, that he was doing the teleconference from his hot tub.

There’s a lot of Cremins stories out there, and now there will doubtless be even more after he was named the new head basketball coach at the College of Charleston on Monday, replacing former Virginia assistant Tommy Herrion, whose last four years were bought out for $787,000.

The last time we ran into Cremins was in late May just before teeing off at a Greensboro Sports Council golf outing. During a leisurely lunch at Grandover Resort, it was easy to detect Cremins’ energy. He left the sidelines too soon, and at age 59, he’s got a lot left to give.

That energy certainly impressed the Charleston search committee, including AD Jerry Baker.

“What was most impressive to the committee was his desire for the job, his zest for wanting to get back into coaching,” Baker said. “He impressed the committee with the energy he’s willing to put out on a day-to-day basis. We’re buying his energy. That’s what we want, his energy and enthusiasm.”

Cremins, who has lived in Hilton Head, S.C., for the past five years, said he believes he has 20 years left for the game of basketball.

“I couldn’t spend the next 20 years of my life sitting down at Hilton Head looking at the water,” said the man who turned down offers from UMass, St. Louis and Tulsa (twice) in recent years.

By the way, Cremins retained one of Herrion’s assistants, former UVa aide Mark Byington (George Felton, now a scout for the Pacers, will likely be the other assistant).

Does this mean that somewhere down the road that Herrion may rejoin Pete Gillen as the coaching staff for some school?

Text this …

Don’t know how many times I’ve talked to a high school football or basketball recruit over the past couple of years and listened to them say they had received a text message from one or more college coaches during class. Well, that won’t happen any longer if the NCAA committee for compliance has its way.

The committee has sponsored legislation that would restrict the use of text messaging or other forms of electronic communication in recruiting, limiting text messaging or other computerized communication (although e-mailing is OK) to between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekends.

Currently, coaches are allowed to text a recruit at any time.

 

Virginia Cavaliers
By Pete Fiutak

While it appears the window has closed on what was supposed to be a golden era of Virginia football, it hasn't been locked shut.

Virginia was supposed to grow into a possible ACC superpower after an unbelievable recruiting class a few years ago led by an NFL-ready linebacking corps. While it's hard to get upset with 32 wins and three bowl victories over the last four years, it wasn't exactly what the die-hard fans were hoping for considering 12 Cavaliers were drafted over the last two years with a 13th, linebacker Ahmad Brooks, to go in a supplemental draft.

As good as Brooks, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Heath Miller, Kai Parham and Darryl Blackstock were, the hope is for the coaching staff to be able to reload in a hurry now that it has a track record of cranking out pro prospects. If you fit what head coach Al Groh and his staff want to do and you have next-level potential, the scouts will take notice. However, the reload will likely have to wait until next year.

Head coach: Al Groh
6th year: 37-26
12th year overall: 63-66
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 16, Def. 13, ST 3
Lettermen Lost: 17
Ten Best Cavalier Players
1. CB Marcus Hamilton, Sr.
2. DE Chris Long, Jr.
3. WR Deyon Williams, Sr.
4. OG Branden Albert, Soph.
5. LB Clint Stintim, Soph.
6. TE Tom Santi, Jr.
7. TE Jonathan Stupar, Jr.
8. QB Christian Olsen, Sr.
9. LB Jermaine Dias, Jr.
10. OT Eugene Monroe, Soph.
 

2006 Schedule
CFN Prediction: coming
9/2 at Pitt
9/9 Wyoming
9/16 Western Michigan
9/21 at Georgia Tech
9/30 at Duke
10/7 at East Carolina
10/14 Maryland
10/19 North Carolina
10/28 NC State
11/4 at Florida State
11/11 Miami
11/25 at Virginia Tech

2005 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-4
2005 Record: 7-5
Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/3 Western Mich W 31-19
9/17 at Syracuse W 27-24
9/24 Duke W 38-7
10/1 at Maryland L 45-33
10/8 at Boston Coll L 28-17
10/15 Florida State W 26-21
10/22 at North Carolina L 7-5
11/5 Temple W 51-3
11/12 Georgia Tech W 27-17
11/19 Virginia Tech L 52-14
11/26 at Miami L 25-17
12/30 Music City Bowl
Minnesota W 34-31

While 13 starters and 32 lettermen return, this might be a season where the program takes a step back to take a giant leap forward. This is a young team with one senior on the projected defensive two-deep and only one on the offensive line. The skill players are veterans who should be able to generate more production than last year, but the top talents are all young reserves waiting for a chance to shine.

The offense will go back to being more of a pro-style attack with mobile starting quarterback Marques Hagans being replaced by the pure passing Christian Olsen. There will be short to midrange passes to the backs and tight ends, and more work created for the running backs. The potential is there for a more consistent offensive season if the offensive line grows up in a hurry.

On defense, the early defections of Brooks and Parham along with defensive end Vince Redd and safety Tony Franklin, who were booted off the team, leaves a gaping hole when it comes to experience, but it might turn out to be a plus character-wise. It's not like the Cavalier D set the world on fire last year with those four finishing tenth in the ACC in total defense, 11th in pass D, 10th in run D, and eight in scoring D. This will definitely be a stepping-stone season for first year defensive coordinator Mike London.

Remember, we're talking about expectations, and there aren't many this year. Once again, Virginia has hardly been bad over the last few seasons, it has just been slightly disappointing. Now we'll see what happens when the bar has been lowered.

The Schedule: The Cavs have a change for a tremendous start if they can beat Georgia Tech in Atlanta and get by Pitt in the opener. With dates against Wyoming, Western Michigan, at Duke and at East Carolina in the first six games, 6-0 isn't out of the realm of possibility. In fact, they only face one 2005-2006 bowl team (Georgia Tech) before the end of October. Of course, the penance must be paid at some point. NC State is no picnic, and the final three games have to be the toughest in America playing at Florida State, Miami and at Virginia Tech.

Best Offensive Player: Senior WR Deyon Williams. Williams grew into a dangerous target late last year and showed off the speed, skills, and talent to become a decent NFL prospect. With more of an emphasis on the passing game this year, the team's number one receiver should flourish.

Best Defensive Player: Senior CB Marcus Hamilton. While he's not the most talented corner in the ACC, he's among the most productive. From tackles to interceptions to broken up passes, Hamilton's 2005 stats can match anyone's. However, this year, no one is going throw his way choosing to test the other side.

Key player to a successful season: Senior QB Christian Olsen. If/when Virginia gets into the ACC title hunt under Groh, Olsen isn't going to be the starting quarterback. However, he can help the team make a big step this year by being a steady, consistent passer. While he's not going to have to do all the things former starter Marques Hagans had to, the pressure to produce will be on his shoulders.

The season will be a success if ... Virginia wins eight games. The 2005 Cavs won seven games highlighted by a victory over Florida State and a Music City Bowl win over Minnesota, but if this year's team can better last year's mark just by beating the teams it'll be favored against, the excitement will be through the roof for 2007.

Key game: Sept. 21 at Georgia Tech. Winning the ACC and Coastal Division opener on the road would do wonders for the young team. With the road trip to Duke to follow nine days later and the next three conference games at home against Maryland, North Carolina and NC State, a 5-0 ACC start is possible with an upset win in Atlanta.

2005 Fun Stats:
- Third down conversion: Opponents 78 of 178 (43.8%) - Virginia 76 of 176 (43.2%)
- Sacks: Opponents 33 for 176 yards - Virginia 19 for 115 yards
- Penalties: Opponents 82 for 736 yards - Virginia 66 for 567 yards

The Last Time Virginia…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Music City Bowl vs. Minnesota)
…missed a bowl game…2001
…pitched a shutout…2004 (Maryland)
…was shutout…2001 (NC State)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Temple)
…went undefeated…1908
…won a conference title…1995 (share, ACC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…never
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2004 (Alvin Pearman)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2001 (Billy McMullen)
…had a first-round draft choice…2006 (T D’Brickashaw Ferguson)
 

Preview 2006 Further Analysis
By John Harris
- 2006 Virginia Preview | Offense Breakdown | Defense Breakdown | Depth Chart

1st and Ten – Charlottesvillian existentialism – When Al Groh came to Charlottesville after his stint as the New York Jets head coach, one of the major selling points to the UVA search committee was that Groh was thinking national championship. It wasn’t good enough to be 6 and 5 and win a lower tier bowl game. It wasn’t even enough to be an eight win a season program, playing in a bowl game in Boise each year. This program had to be thinking national championship or bust. Consequently, his program has shown signs that it ‘wants’ to be in that upper echelon (wins over FSU last year comes to mind), but for the most part, the Wahoo program has been, well, average. Of all of the programs in the ACC, UVA is the one that is probably the most difficult to try to figure out. If you’re a Wahoo fan/alum, how do you perceive your football program? Where are you as a football team? It would seem that with personnel losses like D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Ahmad Brooks, Kai Parham, Marques Hagans and nearly half the coaching staff, the Cavs might be on the downswing, but that’s not what Groh envisioned five years ago when he took over. The momentum he generated through his recruiting of top blue chip prospects like Brooks and Parham has given way to questions about whether he’s living up to the expectations he set forth for himself and this program five years ago. Suspensions and departures over the spring and summer raised red flags about Groh and the players he’s brought to Charlottesville, and it’s not like they’re coming off a 10 win BCS season. This is a team that hasn’t won more than eight regular season games since Groh has been at UVA, all the while, their neighbors from Blacksburg won the 2004 ACC title and won the ACC Coastal division in 2005. This is a key year for Groh and the Cavaliers because if Groh’s squad can’t get his team at least into contention for a Coastal division championship, they might be home for the holidays, an unfortunately fitting end for a team needing some better answers.

2nd and Seven – Finally, some receivers… – Since the days of Billy McMullen, the Cavaliers have struggled finding some perimeter receiving threats. Tight end Heath Miller was the main weapon in 2003 and 2004, while it was difficult for the Cavs outside receivers to do much to scare opposing secondaries. But, that was before Deyon Williams, Fontel Mines and Emmanuel Byers started showing signs of life, as they did in 2005. Williams led the team with 58 receptions for 767 yards and seven touchdowns and has established himself as a true outside threat. Mines was second on the team behind Williams and Byers is probably the fastest of the trio. Former star RB Alvin Pearman’s brother Andrew electrified the coaching staff in the spring and should push for playing time alongside the returning WR trio. UVA can feel extremely confident with this group catching the ball this season. The QB throwing it to them? Well, that could be another issue altogether.

3rd and Three – …and no QB? – When Matt Schaub graduated after the 2003 season, not too many UVA supporters were overly worried about Marques Hagans taking over the QB position. Hagans had shown in spot duty that he was capable to take over the position and be a star. However, now that Hagans is off to the NFL, there might be a few more people a little worried about how Christian Olsen will do as the heir apparent in Charlottesville. Olsen, a fifth-year senior who was once one of the top recruits in the nation, has waited for this opportunity for what must have seemed like a decade. But, whether he’s got enough to shake off the rust and be a productive signal caller in his one and final year as a starter could be the biggest question for this offense in 2006. Olsen has prototypical size at 6’2” and 216, but can he be the all-encompassing offensive weapon that Hagans was? Perhaps not, but a consistent 65% completion, 2 to 1 interception ratio QB will do. Is that possible? A trip to Pitt is coming up very soon and we’ll find out then.

4th and One – Marcus, darling – UVA CB Marcus Hamilton would’ve been a first team All-ACC corner if not for the great talent in this conference in 2005. The young man had six interceptions last year in a stellar season and should be the shut-down cover corner in the Cavalier secondary. The 5’11”, 190 pound senior is solid in press man coverage or playing off in man or zone coverage. With the aforementioned six picks last year, don’t expect too many teams to challenge his side of the field as some questions exist as to who mans the spot opposite Hamilton. The defensive line must generate a pass rush to keep the pressure off of Hamilton and his mates, but if Hamilton is left on the island alone, he should be just fine.