Harrell pledge adds to Bennett’s big week
By Whitey Reid
Published: August 6, 2009

Who says these are the dog days of summer? They certainly aren’t for the Virginia men’s basketball coaching staff.

On Wednesday, the staff received a verbal commitment from rising high school senior K.T. Harrell.

Harrell, a 6-3, 195-pound shooting guard from Brewbaker Tech Magnet in Alabama, is the second prep player to commit to Virginia in the last three days.

On Monday, Bennett and his staff received a verbal from Joe Harris, a 6-foot-5 wing player from Chelan, Wash.

Harrell, who chose Virginia over Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi State, is the highest-rated recruit that UVa has landed. According to Rivals.com, Harrell is a 4-star prospect, while Harris and forward Will Regan are rated at 3 stars.

“Harrell is an explosive athlete,” said recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons of All Star Sports. “He can play wing or point guard.”

Harrell and Harris should be able to complement each other. Harris, who is a little bigger than Harrell, can play some at the “3,” while Harrell is more of a “2.”

“Harris is a totally different type of player from Harrell,” Gibbons said. “Harrell can evolve into a point guard and Harris can play either shooting guard or small forward. He’s got a good body and skill level.

“Those are two good top-100 level additions for them to go with Will Regan. They’re off to a very good start — to have three players this early who can definitely play in the ACC.”

With the departure of center John Brandenburg last month, Bennett still has two scholarships at his disposal. According to sources, the staff is focused on bringing in a combo guard and another big man.

Guard options include Trae Golden of Powder Springs, Ga., and Kyrie Irving of Elizabeth, N.J. Bennett’s top post targets are James Johnson from San Diego and Michael Cobbins from Amarillo, Texas. Derrick Williams, a power forward from Jersey City, N.J., could also be in the mix.
 

Brew Tech hoops star Harrell commits to Virginia
August 6, 2009

Brewbaker Tech senior K.T. Harrell wanted a chance to play basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
This week, the Virginia Cavaliers decided to give him that chance. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard verbally committed Tuesday and made his decision public Wednesday. Harrell said he was not sure when he would sign.
"I've been doing a lot of praying, and it feels good to have the decision made," Harrell said. "I wanted to play in the ACC, and coach (Tony) Bennett showed a lot of interest in me. He was one of the big reasons for my decision.
"I felt comfortable with the coaches, and it felt like the best fit for me."
Bennett was hired at Virginia in the spring. In the months since, Harrell got Bennett's attention.
"He's a special player," Brew Tech coach Chauncey Shines said. "What makes this even more unique is he had to sit out last year. You don't have many kids sit out a year and then sign with the ACC."
An All-Metro selection as a sophomore at Jeff Davis, Harrell transferred to Brew Tech before his junior year and was ineligible for the season.
"He's had the potential. As a sophomore at JD, he was difficult to defend," Robert E. Lee coach Bryant Johnson said. "He's grown into his body now. He handles the ball well and he shoots well. He puts pressure on a defense because he can do so many things."
Harrell, who said he chose Virginia over Auburn, Mississippi State, Georgia and Alabama, among others, is the Rams' first Division I commitment. When signing day arrives, he will become the school's second boys basketball player to sign a college scholarship. Shines said former Ram Jarrett Davis was the first when he signed with Tuskegee.
"It's another big step for our program," Shines said. "We haven't been one of the big boys when it comes to basketball, but we're getting there. Having our first Division I commitment will help generate more interest. We've already got a great academic program, and we want to get our athletic program going, too. You can't beat having both."
With his future decided, Harrell said he wants to concentrate on making up for the time missed last season.
"Sitting out last year hurt," Harrell said. "This year, I want to play and help my team. I think we're going to have a great team. We want to work hard and improve each day and try to win a state championship."

 

Cavaliers add 3rd recruit in hoops
By Norm Wood
247-4642
August 6, 2009

Virginia added its second men's basketball commitment in three days Wednesday from K.T. Harrell, a highly recruited prospect from Alabama.

Harrell, a 6-foot-4 guard from Brewbaker Tech Magnet High in Montgomery, Ala., had scholarship offers from U.Va., Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Auburn.

His final decision came down to U.Va. and Alabama, according to his father, Rodney.

"His dreams came true — to play in the ACC," said Rodney, who played a season of junior college basketball in the late 1980s at Odessa College in Odessa, Texas, on the same team with former NBA star Larry Johnson. "(K.T.) has always loved ACC basketball. He just felt like that was the best place to develop his game. He's gotten really close with (U.Va.) coach (Tony) Bennett. At the end of the day, it was about relationships. It came down to Coach Bennett."

K.T. didn't play last season in his junior year because of transfer rules at Brewbaker Tech.

He transferred from Jefferson Davis High in Montgomery to Brewbaker Tech after his sophomore year.

Despite his inactivity last season at the high school level, K.T. is still considered by most recruiting analysts to be among the nation's top 75 players heading into his senior season.

A strong July performance at AAU nationals in Orlando, Fla., playing shooting guard for the Alabama Challenge, helped Harrell's stock continue to rise.

Rodney said K.T. hopes to major in engineering in college. K.T. joins Joe Harris, a 6-5 guard from Chelan High in Chelan, Wash., as U.Va. commitments this week.

Bennett also has received a commitment from Will Regan, a 6-8 forward from Buffalo, N.Y.

White: Howell Seeking Consistency
By Jeff White
jwhite@virginia.edu

CHARLOTTESVILLE – When he talks about special teams – and he does so often and at length – Al Groh stresses his desire to see UVa block more punts and kicks this season.

He wants to see improvement when the Cavaliers are kicking, too.

Virginia won nine games and played in the Gator Bowl in 2007, in part because of the contributions of punter Ryan Weigand and kicker/punter Chris Gould. They were seniors that season, however, and Groh worried that their departures would hurt his 2008 team.

His concerns proved well-founded. The Wahoos made a modest 60 percent of their field-goal attempts in 2008 – though Robert Randolph was 3 for 4 after taking over the job – and Jimmy Howell’s average of 39 yards per punt ranked eighth in the ACC. Those were among the reasons that UVa finished 5-7 for the second time in three years.

Heading into his ninth season as coach of his alma mater, Groh has a new special-teams coordinator, Ron Prince, a former UVa assistant who returned from Kansas State with a number of strategies for improving the kicking game.

“It’s a critical area that we put a lot of attention into,” Groh said, “but in the long run, schemes won’t solve it. Only the kickers can solve it.”

Training camp opens Friday at UVa, and Randolph figures to battle sophomore Chris Hinkebein and freshman Drew Jarrett for the starting job. Howell, who like Randolph was a true freshman last season, is a virtual lock to handle the punting again this year.

At 6-6, 238 pounds, the Florence, S.C., native has great size for his position, and Howell had five punts of at least 50 yards in 2008. But he also had more misses than he’d care to remember.

“I don’t know closely other people looked at it,” Howell said, “but after each game I would evaluate myself, and every time it would always be 40 yards, 40 yards, 33, or 35, or something like that. I’d have good punts, and then every game I would always have that one short punt, and that’s what killed my average.”

When Weigand and Gould shared the job, Weigand generally punted when Virginia's offense stalled outside the 50-yard line. Gould excelled at the pooch punts, often forcing opponents to start drives from inside the 10.

“He really had a knack inside the 50,” recalled Groh, who cited Gould’s contributions to wins over Florida State (in 2005) and Maryland (in ’07).

Howell’s challenge is to become equally adept in every punting situation.

“I’ve just been spending more time on consistency overall,” he said, “just trying to get the same kick every time instead of worrying about all the directional stuff. Like it’s really not directional. You’re kicking the same kicks, you’re just having to kick it to the right side or to the left side. And then as far as pooches go, just getting it down there within the 10-yard line, just out of bounds around the 10.”

Howell had no punts blocked last year, and he didn’t have to make any tackles. For that, he said, the other members of the punt team deserve “all the credit in the world.” And being thrust into a starting role three months out of high school – Virginia opened against mighty Southern California -- was less nerve-wracking than it was “a dream come true.”

Howell worked with two punting gurus this summer – Mike McCabe and Chris Sailer – before returning to Charlottesville. Summer school ended for him Friday, and that was also the day his lease ran out.

“I didn’t have anywhere else to stay,” Howell said by phone yesterday from Lake Anna, where an aunt and uncle of his have a house. “I was either going to go home [to South Carolina] or come up here, and it was just easier to come up here.”

Randolph and Danny Aiken joined him for a break that included fishing and jet skiing. Their focus is about to shift back to football.

“Now I’m obviously not a rookie,” Howell said. “Coming into my second year, I’m just trying to set the bar higher … and push for first-team all-ACC and what not, and I’m sure Rob and Danny want to do that as well.”

 

Kelly ready for a new challenge
By Jay Jenkins
Published: August 6, 2009

It happens about once every three weeks.

Sleeping in his Charlottesville apartment, Matt Kelly will have a vivid football dream.

The shoulder pads are in place. Play is set to start with a kickoff. The crowd is going wild inside Scott Stadium.

Suddenly, the fantasy turns to a nightmare as the former Virginia lacrosse star is kept off the football field for myriad reasons.

“There are some nights where I can’t really fall asleep because I am thinking about putting the pads on and strapping them up one more time,” said Kelly, who owns the UVa record with 67 career starts as a defenseman in men’s lacrosse. “I kid you not, I really have a high school football dream every three weeks.

“I get so close to stepping on the field and something happens.”

Luckily for Kelly, it is merely a graphic dream.

On Friday as Virginia opens training camp, reality replaces the visions as Kelly will officially return to the gridiron after a four-year hiatus to dominate for the school’s lacrosse coach, Dom Starsia.

In an attempt to possibly bolster some special-teams units, Kelly has been welcomed by coach Al Groh to compete for a role — any role — for assistant coach Ron Prince’s packages.

“I know that I am not going to start at any position. That is out of the question,” said Kelly, who is listed as a safety on Virginia’s roster. “I am just here to give my best effort and play special teams.”

A second-team all-state running back as a senior in 2004 at New Trier High in Kenilworth, Ill., Kelly was recruited by numerous Big Ten schools as a safety or weakside linebacker.

A three-time all-state performer playing prep lacrosse, the opportunity to compete for one of the nation’s premier programs and Starsia was simply too much to pass up.

As a freshman and sophomore at Virginia, Kelly rarely missed football. But that changed during his third year as he continued to recount his playing days at a rapid clip.

Kelly finished his three-year prep career with 4,033 rushing yards and 47 touchdowns and even edged out former Illinois and current Pittsburgh Steelers tailback Rashard Mendenhall for one accolade.

“We went to rival high schools and we were the two running backs for three years in a row and that was our big game,” Kelly said with a smile. “I ended up winning conference player of the year over him.

“That’s kind of my claim to fame.”

With that memory and others dancing through his head, Kelly said he fell victim to what he coined the “What if” game.

“What if I decided to go play Big Ten football? I think about that a lot,” he said. “Where would I be right now? What kind of person would I be? I always kind of thought about that a little bit.

“Over the last six months, towards the end of my lacrosse career and when I knew I was going to be playing football again, I wondered if I went and played football out of high school where I would be right now with four years of football training.”

Kelly approached Starsia last fall to ask about playing football once the requirements for his degree in history were complete and his eligibility expired in lacrosse.

Starsia asked Kelly to compile a list of non-Division I schools that he would be interested in transferring to. Kelly said it was Starsia’s belief that earning playing time as a tailback at Virginia, given the 105-player roster limitations, was not a viable option.

“I don’t think Dom knew my goal was just to play some special teams if I could,” he recounted.

Starsia later approached Groh, setting up a meeting between the coach and Kelly.

The two shared a unique bond.

“Dom didn’t think they were going to take me being a fifth-year guy that hadn’t played the sport in four years, but one of the things that helped, I think, was when I sat down with coach Groh on the first day and he talked about how we are kind of in the opposite set of shoes,” Kelly said. “He was a football player that played lacrosse his last year of college at Virginia.

“He understood from my standpoint what I was looking to do. He has given me this opportunity and I am really psyched.”

Groh asked Kelly to meet with former Virginia special teams star Josh Zidenberg, who will serve as a graduate assistant for special teams this year with the Cavaliers.

“He thought that Josh and I had similar backgrounds being great high school running backs,” Kelly said. “Coach Groh saw Josh kind of as a special-teams guru. Josh really excelled at that and that is what I am gunning for.”

Kelly knows he faces an uphill battle, but loves contact and is aware that is a requisite on special teams units.

The thrill of running out of the tunnel at Scott Stadium outweighs the pain and anguish that will come from being a selfless player on punts, kickoffs and scout team drills.

“My roommate for four years, Max Pomper, who was a football guy in high school, and I always talked about what it would be like to run out there in front of 50,000 people or play in a packed stadium at the collegiate level,” Kelly said. “It was something that I always wanted to do. In lacrosse, I would consider myself a football guy with a stick.

“I really wanted to do this. I felt like I couldn’t close the chapter in the book of my life without doing it.”

He just hopes his storybook finish comes with a new nickname.

“I hope my friends don’t start calling me Rudy,” he joked, “because that would be kind of embarrassing.”
 

Cavs seek big-play wideouts
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: August 6, 2009

One of the key elements that help a spread offense become effective is a corps of wide receivers that can make something happen after the catch, or as Gregg Brandon said last December, “turn six yards into 60.”

When Virginia opens training camp this weekend, you can bet that Brandon, the Cavaliers’ new offensive coordinator, and the offensive staff will be looking hard for playmakers, someone who can scare the wits out of opponents.

Consider that UVa’s current receiving corps is considered average at best, which means that Coach Al Groh will give strong looks at a few incoming freshmen, just as he did in 2002 when the Cavs he played 14 of them on the way to a Continental Tire Bowl upset over West Virginia. Also consider that the top five pass-catchers (in terms of production) from a year ago, are gone.

A Green group

Of the returning wide receivers, Jared Green, Dontrelle Inman, Kris Burd, and Staton Jobe, collectively hauled in 22 catches — not even half the number caught by leading receiver and current Dallas Cowboy Kevin Ogletree, who surrendered his final year of eligibility. Green, who got a taste of the position as a redshirt freshman in ’08, caught 12 of those 22 passes.

Green has worked extra hard in the offseason and is a sure bet to get a lot of attention in camp, as will redshirt freshman Javaris Brown, a speedster out of Macon, Ga., who hasn’t played a college game.

Don’t be surprised in Groh gives incoming freshmen Tim Smith of Chesapeake and Quintin Hunter of Orange a chance to strut their stuff.

Smith is legitimately fast, had a record of production at Oscar Smith High School, has loads of confidence and, as Groh likes to put it, “has that ‘I’m here to play’ look in his eye.” He capped off his high school career with a state playoff record four touchdown catches in the Group AAA title game, just four of 73 receptions for 1,681 yards and 24 scores.

The local favorite

Hunter played quarterback last season, but was a running back and wide receiver in the years before. Rivals listed him as the

No. 106 receiver prospect in the country (and the No. 22 athlete) even though he played quarterback as a senior, piling up impressive statistics throughout his career at Orange County.

While his future may be at quarterback for the Cavaliers, his career will almost definitely begin as a wide receiver. Groh can’t afford to leave such talent on the bench behind a logjam at quarterback this season.

“Hunter isn’t [Tim Smith] kind of fast, but he’s that kind of athletic,” Groh said.

Javanti Sparrow, out of Chesapeake’s Western Branch High, is one of the three or four fastest players on this Virginia team, but Groh would prefer to leave the true freshman on defense if he can.

While some critics will rip Groh for burning the redshirt years for some of the freshmen, what would you do if your job might be on the line? This offense needs some punch and if the veteran receivers can’t deliver, then the rookies might be even more valuable.

Groh and Brandon will put them into playing position to see if they can emotionally handle the transition from high school football to major college ball. If they succeed in training camp, they could significantly upgrade the wide receiver position.

That’s what the next few weeks will be about, finding out how many of the receivers are hungry and who can handle the emotional and physical, and mental challenge of it all.

There’s a feeling in the UVa camp that Torrey Mack, a freshman running back who was redshirted last season, was probably a more talented player than was Wali Lundy as a true freshman. However, Mack sat out last season, while Lundy caught 58 passes and ran back kicks as a rookie in ’02, then went on to become the Cavaliers’ all-time scoring leader.

Mack just wasn’t ready to play and adjust to the environment. Some players take more time.

Expect this training camp to be a tough one for the receivers, just as was spring practice. Some of these guys must step up for Brandon’s spread to be effective.

“Speaking of the wide receiver corps, we have a new mentality,” sophomore Green said recently. “I don’t think I had this [mentality] prior to spring ball, but Coach [Latrell] Scott has done a tremendous job with us about being mentally tough.”

Scott, one of five new assistant coaches on Groh’s staff, came to Virginia in the offseason from Tennessee, where he had finished his first year under Phillip Fulmer.

“Coach Scott has put a little bit of fire behind us,” Green said. “At first we weren’t used to it. Now, everyone has bought into his mentality of being gritty, hardcore receivers. We don’t crack, we don’t take plays off, and we carry out blocking assignments.”

Virginia’s receivers have also spent time studying their own quarterback, Vic Hall, in terms of maneuverability. Hall has a knack for eluding tacklers, and that’s what Scott wants from his receivers — playmaking ability, turning six into 60.
 

Devvarman draws a familiar foe
By Whitey Reid
Published: August 6, 2009

He stands 6 feet, 10 inches. He weighs 230 pounds. His serves have been clocked at over 150 miles per hour.

He is Ivo Karlovic, Somdev Devvarman’s opponent tonight in the third round of the Legg Mason Classic in Washington.

Yes, Karlovic — a 30-year-old from Croatia who is ranked No. 33 in the world — can be a little intimidating.

In a match versus Lleyton Hewitt at the French Open in May, Karlovic had a record 55 aces — and lost.

Therein lies the good news for Devvarman, the former Virginia star who shocked 15th-ranked Marin Cilic on Tuesday night: Besides a blistering serve, Karlovic doesn’t have much else.

Devvarman was able to beat Karlovic in straight sets in their lone meeting in January in the quarterfinals of the Chennai Open.

“I think he’s going to come for revenge,” said Devvarman, half-jokingly. “Playing a guy like Ivo, it could go either way, obviously. If he’s serving well, it’s really hard to get a look on his serve. You just have to do your best on your serve.

“If Ivo is serving well, it’s just awesome pressure. I will have to play really well.”

If Devvarman can get past Karlovic, he would be on a collision course with Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick, the tournament’s top seed. Roddick was an easy 6-3, 6-2 winner over Benjamin Becker on Wednesday night.

Devvarman, who has made a meteoric rise up the rankings since turning pro last summer, said he isn’t surprised by his success.

“I feel like I’ve put in a lot of work and have been doing things the right way,” said the 153rd-ranked Devvarman. “I’m just going to keep taking it one match at a time and not worry about what round I’m in or who I’m playing. I just want to go out and play as hard as I can and let the chips fall.”

Devvarman, a two-time NCAA champion, understands that his margin of error, unlike college, is extremely small.

“For me to beat anybody — whether they’re ranked 40th or 100th – it’s a very small difference,” he said. “I need to be on top of my game against any of these guys. It really doesn’t matter how tough the draw is. It’s one person in front of me every day and I have to come up with the best way to beat them.”
 

Justice chooses Virginia
Date published: 8/6/2009
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

Rising Orange High School senior baseball standout Derek Justice has orally committed to the University of Virginia.

Justice was a first-team Free Lance-Star All-Area selection in 2009, when he was 8-0 as a starting pitcher with a 1.25 ERA. He helped lead Orange to a 21-3 record and its first trip to the Group AA state playoffs since 1992.

Orange coach Jesse Lohr said Justice will pitch or play outfield for the Cavaliers.

"Pitching is probably where he'll make his mark," Lohr said.

Justice started his career at Massaponax High but transferred to Orange prior to his sophomore season.

He also received heavy interest from Virginia Tech, Old Dominion and Clemson, but chose the Cavaliers' full scholarship offer.

Lohr said Justice wants to play for Virginia partly because of its proximity to Orange, but also because of its recent success. Virginia reached the College World Series for the first time in school history last season.

"Why leave home when you can play for a top-notch program up the road?" Lohr said.