U.VA. NOTES

Thursday, Jul 31, 2008 - 06:07 PM
Article Tools
Email a Friend
RSS
digg it
Yahoo! Buzz Printer Friendly
Mobile Alerts
Sphere IT
Save This Page
Cavs hoping for quick decision
After Bethel High point guard Jontel Evans committed to Virginia last month, he was asked about Tristan Spurlock, one of his teammates in the Boo Williams AAU basketball program.

"Hopefully, I can get inside his head," Evans said.

He had plenty of chances to try to sell Spurlock on U.Va. this week in Orlando, Fla., where Boo Williams' top team competed in the 17-and-under AAU national tournament. The Tidewater-based team lost in the quarterfinals yesterday.

Spurlock, a 6-6 small forward from Woodbridge, is ranked No.65 nationally in the Class of 2009 by Rivals.com. He's expected to choose between Virginia and Georgetown.

If Spurlock decides in the next few days, his choice is likely to be U.Va. But Spurlock is scheduled to visit Georgetown on Tuesday, and if he makes that trip, the Hoyas' chances figure to improve significantly.

Evans is Virginia's only commitment thus far for 2009-10. The Cavaliers remain interested in 6-7 forward Marshawn Powell, a rising senior at Miller School, near Charlottesville. But Powell, who's from Newport News and plays AAU ball with Evans and Spurlock, might have to attend a prep school in 2009-10 to bolster his academics.

Three's a crowd?
In senior Cedric Peerman and junior Mikell Simpson, U.Va. has two of the ACC's better tailbacks. Peerman was leading the conference in rushing last year when he suffered a season-ending injury in the sixth game. That created an opening for Simpson, and he finished with 570 yards and eight touchdowns rushing, plus 402 yards and two TDs receiving.

Other tailbacks on the roster include Keith Payne, Max Milien and Raynard Horne. Coach Al Groh, asked if a third tailback might break into the rotation this season, said, "Somebody would have to show that it would be a smart thing to take both of those guys out of the game."

Pros find U.Va. attractive
In Major League Baseball's draft in June, seven of Virginia's incoming recruits were chosen. At the time, Cavaliers coach Brian O'Connor believed only one of those -- Peter Hissey, a fourth-round pick of the Red Sox -- would turn pro this year. But outfielder Tyler Massey recently signed with Colorado, which drafted him in the 14th round.

The Rockies reportedly gave Massey a $525,000 signing bonus, which Baseball America called the highest so far this year for a player taken after the 10th round.

Six players from Virginia's 2008 team were drafted, including O'Connor's top juniors: David Adams, Jeremy Farrell, Jacob Thompson and Greg Miclat. Of those four, only Thompson, a fifth-round pick of the Braves, has yet to agree to terms on a pro contract. The right-handed pitcher might return to U.Va. for his senior year.

Cavs shine in World Games
During the 2008 lacrosse season, U.Va. goalie Adam Ghitelman lost his starting job to Bud Petit, a demotion that caused Ghitelman to lose some confidence too.

After helping Team USA win the Under-19 world championship last month in British Columbia, Ghitelman feels better about his game. He was named the tournament's top goalie.

"This has got to lift his spirits up," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said.

Ghitelman, a rising sophomore who's expected to start for U.Va. in 2009, was "down when he left [Charlottesville] at the end of the year," Starsia said. "He and I talked about it before he left, but even I couldn't shake him out of it. He'd never been on the bench. At first I think he was relieved, but then I think it wore on him as the season went on."

Team USA included three other U.Va. players: Nick Elsmo, Rhamel Bratton and Bray Malphrus. The performance of Elsmo, who rarely played for the Wahoos as a freshman in 2008, was a revelation. Elsmo scored three goals in the United States' win over Canada in the gold-medal game.

"We're just going to have to find a place for Nick," Starsia said.

The Cavaliers recently closed out their recruiting for the Class of 2009, adding a commitment from defenseman Chris Landon, a rising senior at St. Albans School in D.C. U.Va.'s first recruit from the Class of 2010 is Garrett Swankowski, a defenseman from Loudoun Valley High. -- Jeff White