Jeff White leaving UVa beat - Doug Doughty/Roanoke Times

Jeff gave his two week's notice to The Richmond Times-Dispatch on Thursday and will be going to work for the University of Virginia, where he will write for virginiasports.com, UVa's sports Web site.

He will be reporting not to UVa's media relations department but to the athletic department, where senior associate athletic director Jon Oliver will be one of his bosses.

Jeff is a UVa graduate (mid-1980s) who began his 21-year Richmond newspapers tenure as a prep writer for the afternoon News-Leader, then moved to the Times-Dispatch when the papers merged.

I met him during the period in the early 1990s when he covered the UVa women's basketball team in the postseason. He has been the UVa football beat writer throughout the eight-year Al Groh football coaching tenure.

During most of his time on the UVa beat, Jeff has lived in Crozet.

Jeff is a good friend and worthy competitor who told me in the past 2-3 years that he might be gone from the Times-Dispatch within a year. It's likely that the Times-Dispatch's decision not to cover Virginia in the College World Series -- a decision in which it was not alone -- hastened that departure.

Bennett lets high schools coaches know they are important
By Staff Reports
Published: July 10, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - On the first day Division I men's basketball coaches were allowed back on the road to evaluate prospects this month, Tony Bennett was in Hampton.

The University of Virginia's new coach wasn't there to scout players Monday. The classes of 2010,'11 and'12 were elsewhere. Bennett traveled to Tidewater to introduce himself to members of the Virginia High School Coaches Association.

He saw some familiar faces at the VHSCA's annual clinic, but most of the coaches he'd never met.

"I told them this is a very important day for us to be out on the road recruiting, but I thought it was more important for me to be there," Bennett said Tuesday from Cincinnati.

To the group, Bennett spoke some about his coaching philosophy and his system's defensive principles. Mainly, though, "I talked about how important what they do is to us," he said.

"There's a great value in being a high school coach and the impact they have. They're with the kids on a daily basis, whether they have a huge role in the decision-making process [in recruiting] or not. My high school coach had an impact on me, and I talked about that. Some of the things he taught me I still use today, and my dad still gets calls from players he coached in high school."

Bennett, whose uncle also is a former high school coach, had few ties to this state before taking the U.Va. job. He played for his father at Wisconsin-Green Bay and coached under him at Wisconsin and Washington State. Tony Bennett spent three seasons as WSU's coach, compiling a 69-33 record, before leaving for Charlottesville.

Baseball coach wins another honor
Brian O'Connor was named the CollegeBaseballInsider.com 2009 national coach of the year, marking his second national coach of the year award this season.

He also was named the NCBWA national coach of the year a few weeks ago. Earlier this week, he earned ABCA Atlantic region coach of the year honors as well.

The CBI award is the second such honor for O'Connor, who also was named the CBI national coach of the year in 2004 following his first season as coach at Virginia.

O'Connor was selected from a group of five finalists, which included Steve Peterson of Middle Tennessee, John Anderson of Minnesota, Mike Gillespie of UC Irvine and Jim Schlossnagle of TCU.

Virginia posted a 49-15-1 record this year, setting a school record for victories as the Cavaliers earned their first berth in the College World Series. - Jeff White
 

UVa center Brandenburg transferring
By Whitey Reid
Published: July 10, 2009

Virginia big man John Brandenburg will never play for new coach Tony Bennett.
On Thursday evening, sources confirmed to The Daily Progress that the 6-foot-11 center is transferring.
Brandenburg and Bennett could not be reached for comment.
Brandenburg, who was recruited by former Virginia coach Dave Leitao, barely played as a freshman. He averaged just 1.0 points and 0.8 rebounds in eight games, averaging only 3.3 minutes.
However, the St. Louis native was a 4-star recruit coming out of DeSmet Jesuit High and was viewed as a player with a ton of potential.
After Leitao’s departure, it seemed as if Brandenburg might be one of the beneficiaries of the pick-and-pop based system employed by Bennett. In April, Brandenburg told The Daily Progress that he was looking forward to playing for Bennett.
“He said his three principles are transition defense, rebounding and a structure on offense,” Brandenburg said. “I think the one thing we kind of lacked in the last couple of years was a structure on offense. It really was kind of a do-it-yourself offense. This will be interesting to see the change.”
There is no word on where Brandenburg will
consider transferring. Coming out of high school, Brandenburg, a good student, selected Virginia over Stanford.
The most notable play of Brandenburg’s Cavalier career came in the waning minutes of an ugly loss at Clemson when he blocked the shot of the Tigers’ Demontez Stitt, then was hit with a technical foul for taunting Stitt.
“It wasn’t even English,” said Brandenburg, when asked what he had said to Stitt. “I was kind of frustrated with the way the game was going and just happy that something good had happened.”
With the loss of Brandenburg and the recently graduated Tunji Soroye, Virginia’s main option at center is sophomore Assane Sene; junior Mike Scott and senior Jerome Meyinsse, both a bit undersized for the “5” spot, could also see some time at the position.
 

U.Va. recruit Morgan Moses shines even before he starts to play
David Teel
July 9, 2009

Predictably, the procession off the bus was slow. These were, after all, teenagers at 8:30 a.m., in early July.

Can you say sleepwalk?

"They're tired and sore," one coach remarked of the East high school all-stars as they trudged toward a practice for Friday's annual bash against the West at Darling Stadium.

But where was Morgan Moses? Certainly the Parade All-American offensive tackle and University of Virginia signee would be easy to spot, all 6-foot-7, 330 pounds of him.

Yet as player after player filed off the bus, pads slung over shoulders, there wasn't a behemoth in sight.

Had Moses canceled? Overslept? Happens all the time during all-star week.

Finally, one last person bounded down the steps. Wearing an orange U.Va shirt, he was big as a boulder, with a grin to match.

"He has the attitude you want to see from kids in all-star games," said East assistant coach Chris Thurman, the big whistle at Bristol's Virginia High School. "Look at him, always smiling and happy. He's one of those kids coaches can't have enough of."

Question is, will U.Va.'s coaches have Moses in training camp next month?

A recent graduate of Meadowbrook High near Richmond, Moses expects an answer in about two weeks. That's when he's due to receive his final standardized test results.

If the score meets NCAA standards, Moses heads to Charlottesville, where Cavaliers coach Al Groh calls him "a towering presence at his position."

If Moses falls short, he will attend prep school, most likely Fork Union Military Academy, a haven for top-flight football prospects needing to enhance their academic credentials.

Regardless, Moses' commitment to Virginia appears solid. He and Cavaliers assistant coach Latrell Scott, a Hampton University graduate, bonded during his recruitment, which didn't end until Moses' signing-day announcement in February.

While many Virginia faithful are resigned to Moses delaying enrollment for a year, he is optimistic. He also believes he could bypass the standard redshirt year and contribute immediately for a program that has produced NFL linemen such as Eugene Monroe, Branden Albert, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Elton Brown.

"I'm hoping to play right away," Moses said.

Toward that end, Moses has shed 20 pounds since the season, and unlike many 300-pound high schoolers, he's not flabby 'round the middle.

"Just running," Moses said of his regimen. "I had to put the weights down and hit the track."

Moses is so athletic that then-Meadowbrook coach Bill Bowles promoted him to the varsity as a ninth-grader — to play tight end. He moved to tackle the following season and, by his junior year, was a national recruit with offers from the likes of Oklahoma, Ohio State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and North Carolina.

But is he college-football ready? If he qualifies academically, could he possibly compete with redshirt sophomore Landon Bradley to replace Monroe?

History says no. History says the high-school-to-college transition is most difficult for offensive linemen as they learn new techniques, footwork and jargon.

"In high school, he didn't have the (opponents) to challenge him," said Bowles, who retired after last season. "He's got good hands and feet, and his reach is so good, (but) he's going to have to get used to that speed off the edge."

Speed may be the only way to get past Moses on Friday. He dwarfs most, if not all, of his fellow all-stars, and during practices East teammates joked about how he could toss them aside with ease.

"Just looking at the kid as he gets off the bus, you're glad he's on your team," said Thurman, a former lineman at James Madison University.

The most serious competition Moses encountered was at national all-star events in Texas and Hawaii — he's wearing his royal blue helmet from the latter this week. In Texas, coaches moved Moses inside to guard; in Hawaii he remained at tackle.

"I got to play against a lot of great players," Moses said, "quick players who were my size. It got me ready for college."

Whether this season or next, Virginia fans should have little trouble noticing him.

"He's still a young fella," Bowles said, "and I think he's going to grow some more."

 

Is payday looming for Packer?
By Jay Jenkins
Published: July 9, 2009

As a little league star, Matt Packer played for fun.
In high school, the lefty pitched for a college scholarship.
For the next month, Packer is pitching for a signing bonus.
Selected in the 32nd round in the MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians, Packer has until Aug. 17 to come to an agreement with the
organization or he will return to the University of Virginia for his senior season.
For now, Packer has leverage as a third-year college player, something he will not have after his senior season. He has seen that painful process play out firsthand as former teammates Andrew Carraway, Pat McAnaney and Michael Schwimer were given signing bonuses that would barely cover rent for the summer.
Despite the pressure that could mount with the upcoming month serving as a true audition in front of scouts from the Indians, Packer said he remains loose in his first season in the prestigious Cape Cod League.
“It is not really a big deal. I think there’s maybe two other guys on my team that are in a similar situation to what I am,” Packer said. “I don’t really see it as much different. Everybody is just really just trying to play well for everyone that is watching.
“I am just trying to play the way that I can.”
If Packer is leaning towards signing with the Indians once a suitable offer emerges, he has not tipped his hand. And the Indians have not opened negotiations thus far, but a high-ranking executive is slated to watch Packer pitch in the upcoming days.
“If they give me what I want, great. If I end up signing with them that will be great,” Packer said. “If I don’t, that will be great too, because I have a chance to come back and have another great college season.”
Returning to the Cavaliers would give Virginia one of the nation’s deepest pitching staffs and allow Packer to get his degree. The latter is not a major factor, he pointed out, as he will complete the two remaining semesters regardless.
“It probably is pretty hard to come back and finish it,” he said, “but it is something that I want to do.”
Packer said competing in the Cape Cod League has been yet another dream that has been realized, especially coming on the heels of a trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Making it to the College World Series did have a minor drawback as Packer joined the team after the season had started and the rotation was solidified. He was slotted into a role in the bullpen.
“I kind of assumed it would start out like that,” he said. “I haven’t really talked to them too much about how they will use me in the future. I assumed coming in late that they already had their rotation set.
“I didn’t want to come in and kick somebody out of their rotation spot. I enjoy coming out of the pen so I don’t really have a problem with scouts seeing me come out of the bullpen.”
Packer, who led the nation in ERA at UVa in 2008, has been near perfect for Orleans to date, working six scoreless innings of relief. With a 1-0 record, he has struck out 17 batters and allowed five hits and three walks.
One of those walks, however, was quite painful.
“I couldn’t get [Virginia outfielder] Jarrett Parker out the other night,” Packer joked. “I walked Parker when I faced him. I was pretty upset about that.”