Virginia QB Jamal Sewell returns with clear goals
By Norm Wood
247-4642
August 23, 2009

In the year Jameel Sewell spent in exile from Virginia's football program, he had just two simple goals: Stay out of legal trouble and work on correcting the slothful affliction that has affected him for most of his academic life.

He's the first to admit his biggest shortcoming is what he has not done, as opposed to what he has. He's lazy in the classroom. That's his description. It's the reason he was suspended from U.Va. for the 2008-09 academic year. It's the problem he confronted as soon as he found out he wouldn't be eligible to play football last season.

"You can't fake the funk for so long," Sewell said. "It's not going to get you anywhere."

As he prepares for the season, and absorbs as much as he can regarding offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon's spread offense, Sewell has a new approach. This time, he wants to work.

"I always expected to have to work for my job," Sewell said. "I didn't expect for them to say, 'OK, yeah, Jameel, you're back.' … You always have to work for everything you have. I'm willing to do so."

His ultimate football goal is to beat out Vic Hall and Marc Verica for the starting quarterback job or, at the very least, spend most of his senior season on the field in some role. As far as his off-field goal is concerned, he has one ambition — graduate. He's 20 credits short of attaining his degree.

Developing classroom determination has taken some getting used to, but the U.Va. football side of his life has been omnipresent. Last year, he lived with U.Va. linebackers Darren Childs and Antonio Appleby and cornerback Chris Cook. Like Sewell, Cook also was suspended for the '08-09 academic year, but he has returned to the team.

This year, Hall is one of Sewell's roommates. So, as soon as Sewell steps off the practice field these days, he gets to go home and see his main competition for the quarterback role. It could be construed as a strange setup, but that's not the case, according to Sewell.

"Some people think it's weird, but it's natural," Sewell said. "It's your roommate. … It's hard to say it's so much of a competition, but it is a competition. We're not necessarily looking at it in that sense."

Though U.Va. coach Al Groh isn't ready to publicly ponder the possibilities of Hall and Sewell being in games together until he gets a better grasp of who the starting quarterback will be, Brandon already has said he might like to get them both out there together. Sewell has proven his ability to lead the team in past seasons.

In '06, he started nine games and completed 143 of 247 passes for 1,342 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions. He started all 13 games in the '07 season, completing 214 of 364 for 2,176 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Yet, the offense has changed quite a bit since those days, and Sewell is changing with the times.

"A lot of people say this offense is made for me, but whatever it was, I was going to try to attack it in the same manner," Sewell said.

Groh said he believes Sewell is "back on his game the way that he was." As the coach was flipping through the June 1 issue of Sports Illustrated, a story on New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's return to football after a year away because of a knee injury caught Groh's eye. He thought of Sewell's situation.

"All the things he used to wonder, 'Why do we have to do this?' or 'How come we're doing that?' " Groh said regarding Brady and Sewell. "Now it's like, 'Hey, Coach, what do you want me to do? I'm just glad to be back.' When that kind of a mentality hits a player, then I think it enriches their outlook on the game."

Within a few days of being suspended, Sewell said he re-evaluated how he did things in his life. He started to prioritize and paid attention to how he used the hours in the day. His newfound diligence led him back to the huddle in Charlottesville.

"I cried, because I was very hurt," Sewell said. "I felt like everything was taken away from me because of my decisions, so it really hurt me. It bothered me, but if you sit there and (dwell) on that, nothing is going to get better. You have to do what you can to make things better. You have stuff you have to take care of. It's life. You're going to go through all these bumps and everything."
 

Back home in ACC
Veteran Bob Trott played football at North Carolina and was on the staffs at Clemson and Duke before coaching in the NFL.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

It was a little awkward when, following the 1989 football season, former North Carolina football player Bob Trott accepted a coaching position at Clemson.

"My family was a little shocked, especially my mother," said Trott, who had grown up in Kannapolis, N.C., north of Charlotte. "Growing up in North Carolina, we weren't really Clemson fans."

As Trott prepares for his first year at Virginia, most of the novelty has worn off. He was only at Clemson for one season, 1990, but later served as the defensive coordinator at Duke for six seasons, 1996-2001.

"That was tough on certain members of my family," said Trott, who has three children. "There wasn't a clamoring [among family members] for the Duke stuff. But, that's part of the business.

"I'd go to Duke functions and there was a lady who would come up to me and whisper, 'I married a Dookie, but I went to Carolina.' There's a lot of intermixing. That's one of the great things about the ACC."

Trott remembers going to a track meet once and being joined by then-ACC assistants Mike O'Cain and Darrell Moody.

"I was at Clemson at the time," Trott said. "We were talking and I realized, 'This is crazy. Darrell, you're coaching at Carolina and you went to N.C. State. And, Mike, you're coaching at N.C. State and you went to Clemson.

"I went to Carolina and I was coaching at Clemson. We were all backwards. But, coming back to the ACC, it's like we're coming home."

Trott, 55, served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns for five seasons, 2004-08, until boss Romeo Crennel was fired. He subsequently was hired by UVa head coach Al Groh and assigned the linebackers.

"I guess it sort of creeps up on you," Trott said. "For the longest time, I was the youngest coach [on college staffs]. And now I'm the oldest.

"Al got me what was really my first job at Air Force with Bill Parcells. Now, he's hired me because I'm old. We've come full circle."

Trott was a defensive back at North Carolina and primarily has coached the secondary in stops at Arkansas, Clemson, Duke and Louisiana-Monroe.

While he coaches the UVa linebackers, Trott serves as a mentor to first-year Cavaliers secondary coach Anthony Poindexter, who previously has been responsible for running backs.

It might not be coincidence that Trott and Poindexter, an All-America safety during his UVa playing days, have adjoining offices.

"I've been a secondary coach for a long time." said Trott, who coached on NFL staffs with Groh during the early to mid-1990s. "Anthony's got a great attitude. I've been very impressed by him. I would hire him in a heartbeat.

"I remember when he played. I would have liked to coach him, too. I think we have a good relationship. Our staff has a good relationship."

Trott has assumed responsibility for a UVa linebacker unit that has one returning starter, Denzel Burrell. The Cavaliers lost three linebackers with a combined 127 career starts Clint Sintim, Jon Copper and Antonio Appleby.

"I've been through it before," Trott said. "You've just got to start over. That's just the cycle of college football."

Trott is not without Virginia ties. His wife's brother has a master's degree in business education from UVa.

"Back when I was in school, Virginia wasn't very good," Trott said. "Coach [George] Welsh got it going and I think Al has taken it to a level where there's a tradition of some pretty good football now.

"I've been impressed with the way that kids graduate in 3 ½ or four years. I've been in other situations where they didn't graduate in four or five years. In the short time I've been here, that's the big thing that's struck me."

U.Va. to shift focus in practice
By Michael Phillips
Published: August 25, 2009

There is no doubt the Virginia offense will be ready to face 3-4 defenses this year. After all, the unit has been playing against one for the past month.

Likewise, the defense, which has been scrimmaging against the Cavs' spread offense, should be set for such attacks.

But as preseason practices enter their final weeks, coach Al Groh will start preparing his team for game situations by having the scout teams simulate offenses and defenses that the team will see in its early games.

To this point, the units have been competing against each other, something the coach said promoted better football.

"In the early going, we work almost exclusively against each other. It's a much higher tempo and better competition," he said. "It gives us a better chance to see who's really ready to be a factor in any given season."

That culminated in a scrimmage last night at Scott Stadium. Afterward, the coaching staff planned on reviewing the tape and solidifying the depth charts for the upcoming season.

The scrimmage was originally supposed to take place Saturday night, but lightning moved into the area before the team could finish the festivities. Groh had planned on giving the team Sunday off and held to that by rescheduling the scrimmage for last night.

"We got the preliminary stuff in, some special teams and some 7 on 7," he said. "We were going to have to sit in the locker room for a long time to wait it out, so we decided to come back."

Working against the top unit has some other positive points as well. For the defense, the opportunity to see a spread offense is one that will come in handy later in the year -- it's the style of offense that many of the Cavs' opponents will run.

On offense, players can earn their spots on the roster against top-notch competition each day in practice.

That roster is on the verge of being set, with only some final tweaking needed after the scrimmage.

"We've told the players that we have a pretty good idea at this point who those players are," he said of the final roster. "A few spots are still in competition, but we've narrowed it down to just a few places."

Groh said he was also pleased the way this year's academic schedule worked out, which gives the players an extra week between school starting and the kickoff game against William and Mary.

School starts this week on campus, and the team will move into its game-week routine starting next Monday.

"Our expectation is that it will certainly make things a little easier for everybody," Groh said.

One thing he won't have to worry about is preparedness. After beating each other up for several weeks, Virginia's players are ready to finally turn that aggression outward during a game that will count in the standings.

School schedule works in Cavs’ favor
Michael Phillips
Aug 24, 2009

In previous years, the University of Virginia started classes the same week as its first football game. That never sat well with coach Al Groh, who is pleased that this year there’s an extra week in there.

“It takes a significant amount of time for the players to get into a school-year routine without a game staring them in the face,“ he said. “Our expectation is that it will certainly make things a little easier for everybody.“

In response to a question in today’s teleconference with the coach, he added that the school year beginning possesses its own set of challenges, as students who no doubt have their own opinions about the team descend on Charlottesville.

“We’ll probably bring that up as we get closer to the season, that we’ve always emphasized that players need to take their opinions from here inside the team, and not necessarily outside opinion,“ Groh said.
 

Rain delays U.Va.‘s scrimmage plans
Michael Phillips
Aug 24, 2009

Virginia football coach Al Groh wanted to use Saturday night’s scrimmage as an opportunity to finalize the depth chart at key positions. Instead, lightning rolled through the Charlottesville area.

“We got the preliminary stuff in, some special teams and some 7 on 7,“ Groh said today. “We were going to have to sit in the locker room for a long time to wait it out, so we decided to come back today. Yesterday was an off day, and we wanted to protect that.“

He said the team will scrimmage later tonight, and the coaches will make decisions after reviewing tape from the game.

Cavaliers’ dynamic duo
By Whitey Reid
Published: August 25, 2009

Recently, Virginia cornerback Chris Cook was asked to rank the team’s stable of defensive backs. The Lynchburg native
didn’t take very long.
“If I had to put a number on it, I’d give it a 10 because we have so many guys who can make plays,” said the senior. “We have so many people. Anybody can just do anything. It’s not a big drop off if anyone goes down.”
Fellow cornerback Ras-I Dowling agreed with Cook. In fact, the junior from Chesapeake took things a step further. Dowling, a preseason first-team All-ACC selection, believes there won’t be a better starting cornerback tandem in the ACC this season.
“Everybody needs to have confidence,” said Dowling, smiling. “You can’t go out there without confidence.”
However, Cook and Dowling bring more than just a swagger to Virginia’s secondary. With a total of eight career interceptions between them, they are arguably the most talented corner tandem of the Al Groh era. Some Virginia pundits are talking about the duo in the same breath as the Ronde Barber-led secondary of the mid-1990’s. Barber, a potential Hall of famer, is still starring for the Tampa Bay Bucaneers.
Both Cook and Dowling have a rare combination of size and athleticism for the cornerback position.
Cook believes the thing that separates Dowling from other players is his work ethic.
“He’s such a hard worker,” Cook said. “Everything about him is just work. He’s been like that since he’s got here. He doesn’t slack off — in the weight room, conditioning — he just doesn’t slack off.”
Ironically, it was Cook’s lack of diligence that led to him being suspended for all of last season. Cook was suspended just before the team’s loss to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl at the end of the 2007 campaign.
Cook says watching the team play without him was gut-wrenching. He winced as he recalled last year’s season-opening loss to USC.
“After that, I couldn’t really watch anymore because I realized I should have been out there with my team,” he said. “I started watching the Duke game, but then just turned it off after a while because I just couldn’t watch it anymore.”
Now back, Cook — who’s wearing No. 2 this season, in part, to signify his second chance — says he’s worked hard to “redeem myself as a player and as a student.” Clearly, the effort has been acknowledged by his
teammates, who named Cook one of the team captains.
Cook was taken aback by his teammates’ faith in him.
“I was surprised when I got the captain role,” Cook said. “Some of the guys had told me they were going to vote for me, but I didn’t really think I would be one.
“When coach Groh told me I was a captain, I knew I had to prove myself not only to him, but everyone else on the team and be more of a leader than I’ve been.”
Dowling has seen a difference in his buddy.
“He’s working harder,” Dowling said. “He’s attacking the weight room harder. Everything is about this year for him.”
In his time away from the game, Cook believes he also evolved as a player.
“I feel like I may be a better technical player now,” he said. “Before I wasn’t very technical. I was just kind of out there on pure athleticism.”
Dowling is happy to have Cook back. He credits Cook for helping him develop on and off the field.
“When I first got here, he was the one who took me under his wing,” Dowling said. “He’s going to help a lot this year.”
The only thing left is for Cook and Dowling to prove things on the field.


 

Breaking down UVa’s secondary
By Jay Jenkins
Published: August 25, 2009

Defensive Backs
Cornerbacks
Chris Cook
Senior — 6-foot-2,
210 pounds
The skinny: Back after a year away from the program, Cook’s return bolsters Virginia’s secondary. It also provides the Lynchburg native a chance for something many spurned players can merely dream of. “It is almost like he is a getting a second chance, a new lease on life, a new lease on his career and also on school,” said secondary coach Anthony Poindexter. “He is a driven kid, a competitive kid. He brings an edge to our group that we need and I look forward to him having a great year.” Cook has three career interceptions and 13 pass break-ups.
Ras-I Dowling
Junior — 6-foot-2,
200 pounds
The skinny: One of the top cornerbacks in the country, Dowling has impressed every step of the way. Last year, Dowling was a second-team All-ACC performer and much is expected again this campaign. Oddly-timed injuries have taken their toll on Dowling during contests, but he has missed only a pair of games. With Cook to help, teams will likely avoid throwing to Dowling’s side.
Safeties
Rodney McLeod
Sophomore — 5-foot-10,
185 pounds
The skinny: One of five true freshmen to play last year, McLeod logged 161 plays and made 17 tackles. Teammates love his ability to read defenses. “He always seems to know what is coming,” said Virginia quarterback Vic Hall. McLeod is a weapon in multiple facets, including blitzing; he had a sack last year against Georgia Tech.
Corey Mosley
Sophomore — 5-foot-10,
200 pounds
The skinny: Boom. That was the noise that Vic Hall heard during a practice last year. Out of the side of his head, Hall noticed Mosley pounding an opposing player. “It was a loud hit,” the former cornerback said. Expect more hits of that variety, something that former safety Nate Lyles was known for. Mosley started the final nine games last year.
The reserves
Dom Joseph
Sophomore — 6-foot-1,
190 pounds
The skinny: One of the most athletic players in the secondary, Joseph will push for time on the nickel and dime units and make an impact on special teams.
Matt Leemhuis
Junior — 6-foot-1, 1
95 pounds
The skinny: Leemhuis continues to provide depth at safety, but sees his biggest impact on special teams. His season in 2008 was limited due to a thumb injury.
Chase Minnifield
Sophomore — 6-foot,
185 pounds
The skinny: As a redshirt rookie last year, Minnifield continued to show signs that his future would include playing time. Good things are expected according to his position coach.
“Minnifield is one of the best athletes on our team and he does a lot of jobs for us,” Poindexter said. “He does a lot of things so we can move him around a little bit. He is a great player.” Look for early time in many units.
Mike Parker
Junior — 6-foot-2,
205 pounds
The skinny: A special teams standout last year, Parker has impressed at times in training camp. He has pushed for a role in special packages and is a certainty on special teams units.
Trey Womack
Junior — 5-foot-11,
185 pounds
The skinny: Womack is behind a host of players and is likely to make his impact in special units and on special teams.
Brandon Woods
Senior — 6-foot-2,
215 pounds
The skinny: After starting three games with spotty results, Woods was pulled from the starting lineup. He still managed to play in all 12 games of the season and provides depth at safety behind the starting options.
Ausar Walcott
RS Freshman — 6-foot-4,
215 pounds
The skinny: The New Jersey native continues to impress players and coaches in practice. A former three-star prospect, Walcott could push for playing time on special teams.
 

Weather dampens Virginia’s weekend plans
By Jay Jenkins
Published: August 25, 2009

On a day designed to determine position winners, Mother Nature hit the snooze button.
This weekend, Virginia’s football team was forced inside its locker room by lightning.
It was quickly apparent to coach Al Groh that waiting out the storm was not worth the eventual discoveries that would help determine the team’s depth chart in numerous schemes and packages on both sides of the ball.
“In the early stages of what we wanted to do on Saturday,” Groh said. “We had a lightning alert that was scheduled to last for quite some time, and so we were not able to complete what we wanted to do, so we will be doing a good deal of that here [Monday] afternoon.”
That does not mean that the coaching staff went into Monday’s rescheduled scrimmage without a clear-cut idea of the players that will initially be slotted for playing time.
“As we told the players, we have a pretty good idea at this point of who those players are that will comprise our main go-to-the-game roster, whether that is to travel out of town or basic core roster at home,” he said Monday during a teleconference. “There are a few spots that are still in competition, but the last few weeks have narrowed it down to just a few places.”
One of those places, at least in theory, is at quarterback.
All signs point to senior Vic Hall, who left spring camp as the starter and entered training camp with the same designation.
Jameel Sewell and Marc Verica, both veterans, are attempting to unseat Hall from his perch, but Hall has history on his side.
Groh agreed that it is uncommon for a player to make that leap at quarterback in training camp, agreeing that Christian Olsen was a prime example in 2006.
That changed during a rough opener at Pittsburgh and eventually left Sewell as the team’s starter.
“Chris had clearly outperformed all the other candidates during camp and when it was more competitive and for real, he just
couldn’t make enough plays,” Groh said. “That eventually dictated a change.”
Virginia was able to get in some work on Saturday prior to the weather delay. Groh said special teams drills and 7-on-7 drills preceeded the scrimmage.
 

Owah aims to improve rep
Virginia's first recruit for the class of 2009 has had a host of off-the-field issues.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHATHAM -- When members of Virginia's 2009 recruiting class assembled for the start of preseason practice, the first member of that group was making other preparations.

Alex Owah committed to Virginia in December 2007, when he was a junior running back at Harrisonburg.

Owah's future as a Cavalier came into question later that winter, when he was linked with a Halloween prank gone bad, as well as an investigation into the distribution of prescription drugs by members of the Harrisonburg football team.

However, the Cavaliers never publicly cut ties with him until Owah, himself, revealed in the winter of 2008-09 that he had been rejected for admission by UVa.

Owah looked into other opportunities for the 2009 college football season, but eventually came to grips with the fact that he did not meet NCAA eligibility guidelines.

Robert Prunty, coach of the postgraduate team at Hargrave Military Academy, knew something about Owah's football ability but was wary of his off-field reputation.

"He does have some baggage," Prunty said Monday at Hargrave's annual media day.

In late May, Owah was pulled over by police on a speeding charge. He also was accused of marijuana possession.

When it could not be determined that the marijuana belonged to Owah, the second charge was thrown out.

"I wasn't going to take him if he was charged," Prunty said, "but, the charge was dismissed. That's all I can go by."

Days before the spring arrest, Owah won the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump at the Group AA track meet.

"He's special," Prunty said. "You hear about kids who run 4.4s [for 40 yards], but you find out they're closer to 4.5 or 4.6. This kid is a legit 4.4

"He'll probably end up being one of the most highly recruited backs to come here. I think everybody in the country will be after him. If one of the two in-state [Division I-A] schools don't get him, they won't want to play against him."

Owah, rated No. 38 in The Roanoke Times' top 100 high school football prospects as senior, said he is not currently talking with any schools.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder was injured for much of the 2008 season but rushed for 1,795 yards and scored 24 touchdowns as a junior.

"It doesn't bother me to start all over," he said. "I want to start all over. I wouldn't mind if no one knew who I was.

"I felt that I let my family down, I felt that I let my community down. I felt that I let my coaches down. I felt like I let a ton of people down.

"I didn't make good decisions on who I hung out with. As soon as the school year was over, I separated myself from everyone. All I did was train and stay with my family. My family has kept me strong."

Wayne Lineburg, the UVa assistant who recruited Owah, has kept up with his old prospect.

"He told me to stay in contact with me; the [UVa] coaches have been real good to me," Owah said. "I don't know that the offer is still on the table, but they haven't turned their backs on me."

Joe Carico, the Harrisonburg High School athletic director, also serves as the offensive coordinator for the Blue Streaks and has had considerable interaction with Owah.

Owah can be as well-behaved and as charismatic "as they come," Carico said, "but, then there's that point where he flips and who know what will happen?

"I've been burned by him before, but, you know, kids grow up. This is his ticket to turning things around. He came out to our practice before he left, just to tell everybody goodbye and to thank everybody.

"He said he was going down there to prove a lot of people wrong."

A delay of game for Chadwick
Trapped in a recruiting web, ex-Latin star puts college on hold.
By Scott Fowler

Want a cautionary tale on the perils of college recruiting? Meet David Chadwick Jr. He is a 6-foot-9, 215-pound basketball player from Charlotte with smooth offensive moves, superb grades – and no scholarship.

It's not like there has been no interest in Chadwick, who starred at Charlotte Latin and is the son of David Chadwick Sr., the well-known Charlotte pastor and former North Carolina basketball player. Two plastic tubs bulge with recruiting mail in the Chadwick family home.

But Chadwick Jr. saw his original college plan crumble in April. Signed to go to Washington State and play in the Pac-10 under family friend and rising-star coach Tony Bennett, Chadwick's basketball life unraveled when Bennett suddenly bolted for the head-coaching job at Virginia.

Chadwick still had a scholarship offer from Washington State, but no longer wanted to travel 2,600 miles from Charlotte to play if Bennett wasn't coaching him. Instead, he drove this week to Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., where he will attend prep school for a year.

The family will pay the school's tuition – which in some cases can run as high as $29,500 a year. Chadwick Jr. will work on his game, try to earn another top-flight scholarship offer and distance himself from some of the outlandish recruiting pitches he has heard since deciding not to go to Washington State.

The running joke in the Chadwick house is that the family loved the recruiting process so much it has decided to do it all again. In reality, though, the Chadwicks have realized that college coaches' recruiting pitches and promises must not be taken just with a grain of salt, but an entire salt shaker full.

“I'll be more skeptical this time around,” Chadwick Jr. said.

Chadwick has a high basketball IQ and can score with either hand around the basket. He's a good passer for a big man and has a variety of strong post moves.

The biggest question marks in his game: Athleticism and strength. Can he defend against more explosive players? And with his lean build, will he be strong enough to muscle for rebounds against major-college opponents?

Chadwick ultimately had about 30 scholarship offers to Division I schools, he and his father said. But other than Washington State, most were from mid-major schools that didn't really appeal to him. And, as Chadwick Sr. said: “You shouldn't marry somebody you don't love.”

So, prep school.

Telling friends goodbye

It is the second time Chadwick Jr. – by all accounts a great kid and a very good player – has chosen to be left behind by his academic class in his quest to become a great player.

The first time came in ninth grade. Chadwick repeated that grade – not because he needed to academically, but because he had had knee problems. Now he plans to go to a college prep school even though his grades need no prepping (which is the reason most future college basketball players attend Hargrave).

Assuming Chadwick signs a Division I scholarship for the 2010-11 season – and, barring injury, he should have a number of offers to do so – he will be 20 years old when he enters college. He will be 21 by the time he plays his first college game in November 2010.

“It's been weird,” Chadwick said. “My parents and others keep reminding me that 50 years from now, two years won't seem like anything. But it is weird being older, not quite being in college yet and having to tell your friends goodbye when they go.”

But Chadwick has stayed committed to the prep school decision. Some schools have contacted him within the past month – Memphis, Marquette and New Mexico were among them, the Chadwicks said – and asked if he would be interested in pursuing a last-minute scholarship for this school year.

Thanks, but no thanks, Chadwick said.

It's not because he's holding out for his dad's alma mater North Carolina. “They haven't been in touch with me in a couple of years,” Chadwick said.

And it's not because Chadwick Sr. is set on his son playing in a major conference like the ACC. Chadwick Sr. said he has tried during this process to be his son's mentor without attempting to shape the decision for him.

“David is going to own the decision,” Chadwick Sr. said. “I'd be happy for him to be in college somewhere right now, but I'm not going to tell him to go to a school where he doesn't want to go. It is costing us some money for this year, yes, but it's costing him a lot more. He's delaying his whole life a year to make sure he gets this right.”

Chadwick Jr. said he thinks the delay to play a season at Hargrave – where he will team with players like Lorenzo Brown (who originally signed with N.C. State) and Shawn Kemp Jr. (who originally signed with Alabama) – will help him figure out what he wants to do.

National recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons of All Star Sports Report has watched Chadwick play since ninth grade. Said Gibbons: “I think this year will buy David some time and help him raise his game. He should end up in the ACC if he wants to be there. He'll have great players to practice against every day. What this year ultimately does for David is up to David. But he's a great ‘effort' guy, so I think it will do a lot for him.”

‘You couldn't blame him'

It would have been easier, of course, if Bennett had stayed at Washington State. I sat on the Chadwicks' couch recently and asked Chadwick Jr. what happened.

“He was sitting right where you are sitting right now [in September 2008],” Chadwick Jr. said of Bennett. “He was saying, ‘I've just signed a long contract extension at Washington State.' But that's the nature of college basketball. When he called me to tell me about Virginia, I said, ‘Tony, I completely understand what you're doing.' Virginia is a better area to recruit from, has more potential, has better academics and he got a big pay increase. You couldn't blame him.”

Bennett apologized to the Chadwicks, the family said, and has been in touch a couple of times since. But he never offered to take Chadwick with him.

Bennett declined comment about Chadwick or his family for this story. Through a Virginia spokesman, he cited the NCAA rule that prohibits coaches being quoted about players who are still in the recruiting process. For the same reason, other college coaches cannot publicly talk about Chadwick, either.

The Chadwicks have known Bennett for almost 20 years. Chadwick Sr. had met and befriended Bennett while Bennett was a guard for the Charlotte Hornets. Bennett went with the Chadwicks on a couple of family vacations. Bennett met his future wife Laurel while attending Forest Hill, the Charlotte mega-church where David Sr. serves as senior pastor. David Sr. performed the Bennetts' wedding in Baton Rouge, La., in 1995.

“So when Tony called David and offered him a scholarship,” Chadwick Sr. said, “this obviously seemed like a God thing, like everything had fallen into place.”

And then Bennett took the Virginia job. It didn't shake the Chadwicks' faith in God, but it certainly derailed their college plan.

“I have no ill feeling toward Tony,” Chadwick Sr. said. “I love Tony. But I do really wish David could have played for him.”

Bennett had signed four players to his 2009 recruiting class at Washington State. The other three stayed. Chadwick left. He had believed in Bennett so thoroughly that he had committed to Washington State sight unseen after Bennett's home visit and subsequent scholarship offer.

Then came another recruiting whirlwind. Chadwick got his official release from Washington State on a Thursday in April. St. Louis coach Rick Majerus came to his home Friday and stayed 4 1/2 hours. Creighton coach Dana Altman came on Saturday.

But the messages were sometimes mixed in the spring, the Chadwick family said. Butler coach Brad Stevens called one day to gauge Chadwick's interest in his program, Chadwick Jr. said, then called back a few days later saying he didn't have a scholarship available.

Sometimes, the pitches were ridiculous.

Chadwick said he was told by one coach he wouldn't name: “You'll play 30 minutes a game as a freshman. Then, three weeks later, the same coach called us and said they had a logjam at my position and no scholarship at all.”

Another coach told Chadwick he would be the face of the program for four years, he said, and do for that team what Stephen Curry did for Davidson. That statement was nutty enough, Chadwick said, that he never believed it to begin with.

“Each school had its own little story,” Chadwick Jr. said. “I wasn't in a rush at all. Then sometimes they would come back and say, ‘We don't think you're very interested.' I took it as a sign of God protecting me from where I am not supposed to be.”

‘The wrong cards'

How far Chadwick ultimately goes with basketball is questionable.

Could he be an NBA player? Not unless he improves dramatically in prep school and college. But there are some precedents. Josh Howard once went to Hargrave and later starred at Wake Forest and in the NBA. Joe Alexander was lightly recruited in high school, went to Hargrave, starred at West Virginia and became the No.8 pick of the 2008 NBA draft.

“I would love to play basketball for a living somewhere,” Chadwick Jr. said. “That's my goal. If it's in Europe, that'd be great, too.”

First, though, he must run the recruiting gantlet again. He hopes, most of all, that people tell him the truth and nothing more. “I think coaches will be very careful what they say to me,” Chadwick said. “They know I've been dealt the wrong cards a couple of times.”

Chadwick could either make a decision on college in November during the early signing period or wait until the spring of 2010.

If Bennett decides to recruit him again at Virginia – and Chadwick said Bennett had promised to come watch him at Hargrave – Chadwick said he will listen.

“I wouldn't say I would shut that door,” Chadwick said. “But I wouldn't say I'm going to open it immediately, either.”


 

Cavaliers Well Represented at U.S. Amateur
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 08/23/2009

Charlottesville, VA - Four players on the current Virginia men's golf team and assistant coach Jay Fisher start play at the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championships Monday. The tournament, held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., runs through Sunday.
The UVa competitors include junior Will Collins (Salisbury, N.C.), junior Amory Davis (Chadds Ford, Pa.), sophomore Ben Kohles (Cary, N.C.) and freshman Mac McLaughlin (Shaker Heights, Ohio). They are joined in Oklahoma by assistant coach Jay Fisher.
Fisher reached the event thanks to a fourth-place finish at the sectional qualifier at Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Va. Kohles tied for first at the sectional at the Little River Golf Resort in Carthage, N.C., and Collins took first place at Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley, Md. Davis tied for third at the qualifier at Concord Country Club in Chadds Ford, Pa., McLaughlin qualified by tying for second at the Camargo Club in Cincinnati.
The first and second rounds of stroke play are set for Monday and Tuesday (Aug. 24-25) at Southern Hills Country Club and Cedar Ridge Country Club. All match play rounds will be played at Southern Hills Country Club, beginning Wednesday (Aug. 26). A single round of match play is scheduled on Wednesday, followed by the second and third rounds on Thursday (Aug. 27), and single rounds again from Friday-Sunday (Aug. 28-30).
The Golf Channel will televise coverage Wednesday (4-6 p.m.), Thursday (1-3 p.m.) and Friday (1-3 p.m.). NBC will air the semifinals and finals from 4-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
A total of 99 sites were used to determine the field for this year's tournament. A total of 6,948 entries were accepted for this year's event. The U.S. Amateur Championship is open to amateur golfers who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4. This year's field includes 312 golfers.
The U.S. Amateur Championship is the oldest golf championship in this country, one day older than the U.S. Open. Except for an eight-year period, 1965-1972, when it was stroke play, the Amateur has been a match-play championship.

Following scoring from the U.S. Amateur here.

First Round Tee Times
Will Collins at 7:30 a.m. from the 10th tee at Cedar Ridge Country Club
Ben Kohles at 8:30 a.m. from the first tee at Cedar Ridge Country Club
Mac McLaughlin at 8:50 a.m. from the first tee at Cedar Ridge Country Club
Amory Davis at 1:35 p.m. from the first tee at Cedar Ridge Country Club
Jay Fisher at 12:45 pm from the first tee at Southern Hills
 

Cavaliers Complete First Day at U.S. Amateur
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 08/24/2009

Charlottesville, VA - Junior Amory Davis (Chadds Ford, Pa.) had the best start of the five UVa representatives during the first round of stroke play at the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship in Tulsa, Okla. Davis shot 2-over 72 and is tied for 25th overall in the 312-player field. Sophomore Ben Kohles (Cary, N.C.) was one shot behind Davis in 42nd place. Tim Jackson of Germantown, Tenn. posted the day's best score, shooting 2-under 68.
The other UVa competitors' scores included a 76 by freshman Mac McLaughlin (Shaker Heights, Ohio) and 77s by junior Will Collins (Salisbury, N.C.) and assistant coach Jay Fisher.
Following Tuesday's stroke play the top 64 individuals will move on to the match play portion of the tournament that gets underway Wednesday.
Virginia's four competitors matches Oklahoma State and Stanford for the top number of individual players competing from a college program.
Fisher is the first UVa competitor to tee off during the second round. He starts his round at 7:20 a.m. on the Cedar Ridge course. Davis tees off at 8:20 a.m. on the Southern Hills course while Collins begins at 12:45 p.m. followed by Kohles at 1:45 p.m. and McLaughlin at 2:05 p.m.
The first and second rounds of stroke play are set for Monday and Tuesday (Aug. 24-25) at Southern Hills Country Club and Cedar Ridge Country Club. All match play rounds will be played at Southern Hills Country Club, beginning Wednesday (Aug. 26). A single round of match play is scheduled on Wednesday, followed by the second and third rounds on Thursday (Aug. 27), and single rounds again from Friday-Sunday (Aug. 28-30).
The Golf Channel will televise coverage Wednesday (4-6 p.m.), Thursday (1-3 p.m.) and Friday (1-3 p.m.). NBC will air the semifinals and finals from 4-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
A total of 99 sites were used to determine the field for this year's tournament. A total of 6,948 entries were accepted for this year's event. The U.S. Amateur Championship is open to amateur golfers who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4. This year's field includes 312 golfers.
The U.S. Amateur Championship is the oldest golf championship in this country, one day older than the U.S. Open. Except for an eight-year period, 1965-1972, when it was stroke play, the Amateur has been a match-play championship.
 

ODU Tops UVa, 3-1, In Exhibition
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 08/24/2009

NORFOLK, Va. - The Virginia men's soccer team fell in an exhibition contest, 3-1, at Old Dominion on Monday night. The Cavaliers will play their third and final preseason exhibition on Saturday, Aug. 29, vs. West Virginia at Klöckner Stadium.

Old Dominion got on the board first after a scoreless half in the 75th minute. Nane Joseph converted a penalty kick to give the Monarchs a 1-0 advantage.

Freshman Ahkeel Rodney (Elmont, N.Y.) scored an unassisted equalizing goal in the 82nd minute. That 1-1 tie did not last long, however, as Emmanuel Ambane scored a breakaway in the 85th minute off of an assist by Nick Foglesong.

Old Dominion tacked on one more goal before the final whistle. The Monarch goal was by Yannick Smith, who was assisted by Chris Harmon.

UVa held a slight advantage on shots, 9-8, and an 8-3 advantage on corner kicks. Virginia midfielder Tony Tchani (Norfolk, Va.) had a team-high three shots, two of which were on goal.

Diego Restrepo (West Palm Beach, Fla.) got the starting nod in goal for Virginia, while Matt Owen (Richmond, Va.) relieved him in the 75th minute.

ODU goalkeeper Evan Newton registered five saves in the match.

Saturday's kick-off against the Mountaineers is scheduled for 7 p.m. The regular season kicks off for the Cavaliers on Sept. 4 and 6, when they travel to the Nike Portland Invitational to face host Portland and Washington.

The Cavaliers' home opener is on Sept. 11 vs. Duke. Kick-off at Klöckner Stadium for that match is scheduled for 8 p.m. and follows a Virginia women's soccer match at 6 p.m.