White: Snyder's Dream About To Become Reality
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/02/2009
By Jeff White
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- On the depth chart that was released Monday, he's listed as a
starting wide receiver. Whether Matt Snyder actually will be on the field for
UVa's first play from scrimmage Saturday night at Scott Stadium, it's too early
to say. The Cavaliers' other options at wideout include Jared Green, Kris Burd,
Javaris Brown and Tim Smith.
Either way, though, Snyder has made himself a great story. The 6-4, 205-pound
redshirt sophomore is a walk-on in a football program that doesn't hesitate to
put non-scholarship players in prominent roles. Jon Copper, Josh Zidenberg,
Staton Jobe and Byron Glaspy, among others, will attest to that.
"Virginia gave me a chance when no one else would," Snyder said on a
teleconference this morning. "I was very [grateful] for that chance, and to this
day they've treated walk-ons and myself phenomenally. If you work hard as a
walk-on, you can do things, and it's an equal-opportunity team. Virginia treats
walk-ons just like scholarship players, and it's great."
As a senior at Deep Run High in western Henrico County, Snyder caught 65 passes
for 1,009 yards and was named to the all-Central Region team. Division I-A
schools weren't impressed.
Nor, for that matter, were Division I-AA schools, including the University of
Richmond, whose assistants then included Latrell Scott, now Snyder's position
coach at UVa.
"It feels good to say it now," Snyder said. "It didn't feel so good back then,
but no, I had no scholarship offers. D-I-AA wouldn't even let me walk on. Like I
said, I'm so [grateful] to Virginia for giving me this opportunity. Like any
walk-on, I came here with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, trying to prove
to people that I could actually play. That's been a little bit of motivation."
Consider Al Groh convinced.
"He's done an excellent job in every area," Groh said this afternoon. "He really
epitomizes the attitude that real football players have."
Snyder, 20, has good size and good hands, and that was true when he played at
Deep Run, too. But he wasn't a burner on the field, and that scared away college
coaches.
"People were recruiting speed, and they didn't think I had that," he said. "I'm
still not sure I do, but again I'm so just happy Virginia gave me the
opportunity."
Until a reporter informed him this morning, Snyder didn't realize he'd been
listed as a starter on the depth chart for the William and Mary game. He's
taking nothing for granted.
"Like I said, until Saturday, nothing's certain," Snyder said. "If I get in the
game Saturday I'll be very pleased and feel very blessed. If not, I'll keep
working and go from there."
Look for him on special teams, as well as receiver. Snyder raves about the job
that new special-teams coordinator Ron Prince has done since returning to UVa
this year.
"We're all very excited to get out there and show kind of a new side of the
Cavaliers," Snyder said. "No one really knows us for special teams, but we're
really excited to get out there and kind of flip the script."
UVa's roster includes two Snyders. The brother most likely to contribute this
season is the one who's not on scholarship. Jake Snyder is a first-year
defensive end who's expected to redshirt.
That's what Matt did in 2007, and he didn't get into any games last season,
either. Nearly three years have passed, then, since he last played in front of
fans at something other than a spring game. Saturday night figures to be an
emotional time for him.
"I grew up going to Virginia games with my parents and with my brothers," Snyder
said. "I was in the stands like, 'Wow,' and looking at those guys running out
the tunnel. I didn't really dream about it then, but it was always like a dream
of mine, I guess.
"Not even really a goal, but a dream. Through the whole recruiting process, I
wasn't getting recruited by anybody, I was just confused a little bit. And
[then-UVa assistant] Mike Groh really came in and gave me that opportunity. He
reached out when no one else really was.
"I had to think about it for a minute. But you read all these stories about
walk-ons becoming starters, whether it's at Virginia or any school, and that's
motivation for any kid that doesn't really get any scholarships offers or get
many looks at the collegiate level. I did think about those guys: Copper, Josh
Zidenberg, Byron. I owe a lot to those guys, and I owe a lot to Virginia."
--30--
Groh Has Several Pieces For Successful Season
Jerry Ratcliffe September 2, 2009 Marc Verica is one of three experienced
quarterbacks that Al Groh can choose from this season.
CHARLOTTESVILLE — A quick examination of Al Groh’s best football teams at
Virginia reveals three common strengths: good quarterbacking, solid defense and
reliable placekicking.
In the seasons in which those particulars came together during Groh’s first
eight years in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers produced five bowl teams,
highlighted by two nine-win campaigns. By contrast, the three seasons where UVa
was shaky at quarterback, played so-so defense and struggled with the kicking
game put the veteran coach on the hot seat.
Unfortunately for Groh, two of the poor seasons have come in the past three
years. Those shortcomings have left Wahoo Nation split on whether the veteran
coach deserves a 10th season in 2010, which would give him the second-longest
tenure by a head football coach in Virginia history, behind only College
Football Hall of Famer George Welsh’s 19 seasons.
Before rushing to judgment, Groh supporters believe this edition of the
Cavaliers will boast all of the aforementioned strengths that have led to
success and that, in spite of a challenging schedule that includes nine teams
that made the postseason last year, Virginia could be one of the ACC’s surprise
teams in 2009.
Groh felt the heat during last season’s 5-7 campaign, when both the
quarterbacking and kicking were unreliable.
“The 2008 team had to endure more than any team I’ve ever been associated with,”
Groh said recently.
That’s a lot of football, considering that he’s been in the business for 40
years and on every level of the game, from high school to NFL head coach.
Still, that UVa squad had chances to beat Miami (24-17 in overtime), Clemson
(13-3) and Virginia Tech (17-14) down the stretch. Each of those efforts was
plagued by turnovers from a rookie quarterback who previously had put together
one of the most impressive strings of performances in the league.
This year’s defense, led by what should be one of the ACC’s strongest
secondaries, should be solid even though there will be some relatively new faces
at linebacker. Both kickers return from last season and should be more
dependable.
What may seal Groh’s fate — for better or worse — will be a new, no-huddle,
spread offense directed by former Bowling Green head coach Gregg Brandon. Most
critics agree that should Virginia fail to reach a bowl this year, it will be
Groh’s last at his alma mater.
However, many of those observers also concur that should the Cavaliers post a
successful season and return to a bowl game, Groh’s future could be firmly
cemented, because he has surrounded himself with arguably his best staff during
his UVa era.
Brandon brought the wide-open spread with him from Bowling Green, where he and
Urban Meyer developed their version of the offense nine years ago, when Meyer
was named head coach and he immediately hired Brandon as his offensive
coordinator. When Meyer left for Utah, Brandon was elevated to head coach and
watched his squads put up some mind-blowing numbers.
The fact that Brandon replaced Groh’s embattled son, Mike (now a graduate
assistant at Alabama), cooled a major portion of the criticism directed at the
program. Mike Groh’s offenses were anemic throughout his three seasons as
coordinator, seldom finishing among the top 100 in Division I-A, which magnified
the discontent from Wahoo fans.
With Brandon on board to run the offense — Groh has promised to give him total
autonomy — there’s more faith that explosiveness could return to that side of
the ball. Four starters return on the line, so with some experienced backs and a
few speedy true or redshirt freshman wide receivers in the mix, this offense has
the potential to keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night.
The true indicator of Groh football has been the quarterback. His program
thrived under Matt Schaub, who re-wrote the school’s passing records, and was
well-respected when undersized Marques Hagans and left-handed Jameel Sewell
served their second terms as starters.
This time a year ago, the Cavaliers’ offense really didn’t have a veteran
quarterback to rely on, as Peter Lalich was entering his sophomore season and
Marc Verica was a redshirt freshman. When Lalich got the boot in a controversial
decision by school administrators for some off-the-field issues, Verica was
thrust into action before he was ready.
Thus, with an inexperienced quarterback, a relatively new offensive line and new
kickers, the majority of the equation for what makes Groh football tick was
missing.
Not this time around.
Virginia has three — count ’em, three — experienced quarterbacks, at least two
well-suited to run Brandon’s spread.
Sewell, who sat out last season because of academic suspension, ranks ninth on
the Cavaliers’ all-time passing list in less than two full seasons as the team’s
starter, although he isn’t considered the most accurate thrower or the most
snappy decision-maker. He’s also a nifty runner when the pocket collapses or
when he feels pressure. Verica also is back, as well, but he appears to be the
third option in this three-man chase.
That leads us to senior Vic Hall. For years, Wahoo fans have clamored for Groh
to “Give Vic A Chance.”
A state record-setting quarterback at Gretna High School, which is located an
hour-and-a-half south of Charlottesville, Hall was considered the ultimate
schoolboy playmaker. Some questioned whether he, undersized at 5-9, could play
the position on the major college level.
Hall never questioned his ability, but when he arrived at UVa and found the
quarterback position well-stocked, he was shifted over to defense. He toiled
somewhat uncomfortably at cornerback for three years.
Fans became vocal over the past two seasons, as the Cavaliers’ offense failed to
impress, even though Sewell performed well enough at times to lead the team to
the brink of what would have been the second 10-win season in school history in
2007, when UVa nearly upset high-powered Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl.
Most figured if Hall wasn’t the answer, then at least he deserved a shot. Groh
was on that wavelength, too, after the 2006 season. There was a plan to use Hall
at quarterback, particularly in a “wildcat” package for 2007, but the coaches
shelved that idea when one cornerback flunked out and another was booted from
the program because of legal issues.
When Groh wanted to restore hope during a three-game losing slide at the end of
last season, he decided to give Hall that chance. On only three real days of
practice at quarterback, Hall opened UVa’s game at rival Virginia Tech as a
quarterback — in what Hall later would label the “Hoocat” formation — and threw
a real scare into the Hokies in Blacksburg before the Cavs bowed 17-14.
The smart money is on Hall to eventually lead this year’s attack because of his
heart and leadership. “Vic Hall is a kung-fu fighter,” Groh said with all the
grittiness in the world. His statement spoke volumes.
All things considered, UVa fans are holding their collective breath that the
offseason changes and a diehard at quarterback will lead them back to the
Promised Land.
Snyder gets his shot
By Jay Jenkins
Published: September 3, 2009
It has all the makings of a movie.
Football films such as “Rudy” or “Invincible” documented the rise to glory of
players that were all but forgotten by their peers in the sport and eventually
made the team in storybook fashion.
Another example will be on display Saturday at Scott Stadium at 6 p.m.
A relative unknown since the day he strolled onto the football team at Virginia,
Matt Snyder has worked day after day, inside and out of practice, as though it
would his last.
It has paid off — the walk-on is slated to start Saturday against William &
Mary.
His spot as one of the top wideouts on the depth chart, however, was not
something that the virtual unknown was privy to before Wednesday.
“I actually wasn’t aware of that,” Snyder said. “If that’s what it says, that’s
great. Nothing is certain until that whistle blows at 6 o’clock, but I’m sure
whoever is starting at receiver, whether it be myself or any of the other
receivers, I’m sure they’re going to play well and play hard.”
What Snyder has done in practice has mesmerized his teammates. Play after play,
Snyder bursts downfield and lays it all on the line.
“He’s one of the hardest workers, I think, on the team,” said Virginia
linebacker Aaron Clark. “He’s extremely diligent in what he does, trying to get
all the little techniques right. He runs absolutely as hard as he can every
play, blocking and doing whatever he needs to do help the team or to be
successful and to play.
“I think Matt’s going to have a great year.”
Clark noted that Snyder’s role is similar to the plot of “Invincible”, a movie
about Vince Papale, who landed on the Philadelphia Eagles roster without playing
college football.
“He kind of reminds me of that,” Clark said. “He’s a no-B.S. guy — excuse me for
saying that — but he just gets up there and he works and he doesn’t try to be
flashy or anything. He just puts his nose to the grindstone and does his job.
“I think as a coach, you pray for players like that.”
Snyder received zero interest from Division I-A or I-AA schools at Deep Run High
in Richmond. With that in mind, he joined the team at Virginia in 2007 with what
he called a “chip on his shoulder.”
“The chance to be a walk-on — it was a tough one, but a good one at the same
time,” said Snyder, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. “Virginia gave me
a chance when no one else would. I was very gracious for that chance and to this
day they have treated walk-ons and myself phenomenally.
“If you work hard as a walk-on you can do things and it is an equal opportunity
team, walk-on or scholarship player. Virginia treated walk-ons like their
scholarship players.”
Snyder said he was unaware of his status on the depth chart because numerous
players have rotated in during training camp.
“I just tried to keep my nose to the grindstone and keep working and not really
worry about where I was or where I wasn’t on the depth chart,” he said. “Until
Saturday, nothing is certain. If I get in the game on Saturday, I’ll be very
pleased and feel very blessed. If not, I’ll keep working and go from there.”
Tribe will try to beat the spread ... Virginia's offense, that
is
David Teel
September 4, 2009
WILLIAMSBURG
In plotting strategy for William and Mary's football opener, defensive
coordinator Bob Shoop studied tape of Oregon, Texas Tech, West Virginia,
Northwestern and Bowling Green.
Oh, and Virginia.
The Tribe kicks off 2009 at Virginia on Saturday, but seismic changes among the
Cavaliers' coaches and quarterbacks rendered standard preparation obsolete.
Gregg Brandon is Virginia's new offensive coordinator, and he's installed a
spread attack that deploys three, four and occasionally five receivers, with a
mobile quarterback operating exclusively out of the shotgun.
Vic Hall and Jameel Sewell, the Cavaliers' top quarterbacks, are as difficult to
assess as Brandon. Sewell, the 2007 starter, missed last season on academic
suspension, while Hall spent virtually all of the last three years on defense —
his college quarterback debut came in the 2008 finale at Virginia Tech.
So what's an opposing coach to do?
Shoop broke down the offenses at Bowling Green, where Brandon served as head
coach and offensive coordinator, and Northwestern, where Brandon coached
receivers. He watched Hall against the Hokies, and Sewell in 2007.
Further, Shoop analyzed other spreads: Oregon's balanced approach, Texas Tech's
pass-crazy show and West Virginia's run-first tendencies.
He's like a film-school freshman studying violence. Tarantino, Scorsese and
Coppola all are must-sees.
Neither Shoop nor Tribe head coach Jimmye Laycock has seen an all-spread,
all-the-time opponent. Colonial Athletic Association rivals New Hampshire,
Villanova and James Madison employ elements, but not exclusively.
"I don't want to overstate how unique it is," Shoop said of this week's
game-planning, "but (Brandon) is pretty clever at what he does. … We're going to
have to be really good game-day coaches and adjust. It'll be fun. These are the
type of challenges you enjoy."
The challenge is easier to enjoy with talent at your disposal. And that Shoop
has with a defense that returns eight starters and should rank among the Tribe's
best in memory.
Please don't misinterpret. A quality Football Championship Subdivision defense
is unlikely to stifle an efficient Bowl Subdivision offense. But there's no
denying W&M's progress from 2007.
"We may not be there yet, but we're a heck of a lot faster than we were,"
Laycock said. "We can play some defense. I don't know how well we'll do
(Saturday), but in our league, we're going to be able to play defense."
In 2007, Shoop's first season as coordinator, the Tribe defense ranked 108th
nationally against the run, 96th against the pass, 83rd in yards allowed and
111th in points allowed. That was among 116 FCS teams.
Not coincidentally, William and Mary finished 4-7.
"I don't think there's an adjective to describe the season we had on defense,"
senior end Adrian Tracy said of 2007.
As fast a defensive end as you'll find in the CAA, the 6-foot-4, 243-pound Tracy
was the linchpin of the Tribe's defensive upgrade last season. He recorded 10
sacks and 51/2 other tackles for loss to earn first-team all-conference and
honorable-mention All-America honors.
William and Mary's national defensive rankings improved to 69th versus the run,
24th versus the pass, 37th in yards and 55th in points. The Tribe's record
flipped to 7-4, with a season-ending overtime loss to eventual champion Richmond
denying W&M a playoff invite.
"Let's not get carried away," Shoop said. "We weren't the 2002 Tampa Bay
Buccaneers or the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. We were just better (than in 2007)."
Those teams rode fast, dominant defenses to Super Bowl championships. Dominance
for the Tribe is unlikely in the thorny CAA, and certainly against an ACC team,
but Shoop says his bunch can slow the Cavaliers.
The keys, he said, are ends Tracy and C.J. Herbert, outside linebackers Wes
Steinman and Evan Francks, and safeties David Caldwell and Robert Livingston.
Each runs well, and if they play effectively "in space" against the likes of
Hall, Jared Green, Torrey Mack and Javaris Brown, William and Mary has a
puncher's chance.
Tracy, for example, had arguably his finest game last season against New
Hampshire's spread-like offense. His 14 tackles and two sacks helped the Tribe
upset the No. 4 Wildcats 38-34 on the road.
"It's more about how we play than what they do," Shoop said. "When we turn it
up, we play at a pretty high level."
Said Tracy: "I know what we're capable of. It's exciting. It kind of gives me
goose bumps."
Injury report for William and Mary game
Sept. 3, 2009
7:28 p.m.
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Below is the injury report that UVa released tonight, as per
ACC policy. Virginia plays William and Mary in the football opener for both
teams Saturday night at Scott Stadium.
Out
WR Dontrelle Inman (hand)
OT Lamar Milstead (ankle)
CB Mike Parker (hand)
LB Billy Schautz (knee)
WR Bobby Smith (knee)
Doubtful
none
Questionable
RB Rashawn Jackson (knee)
Probable
WR Quintin Hunter (leg)
TB Max Milien (foot)
TB Mikell Simpson (foot)
TE Joe Torchia (shoulder)
UVa's sports medicine staff, under the direction of Dr. David Diduch, compiled
the injury report, whose categories are defined as follows:
Probable: Virtual certainty will be available for normal duty
Questionable: 50-50 chance will not play
Doubtful: At least 75-percent chance will not play
Out: Definitely will not play
-- Jeff White
For Bernardino, Trip Abroad Reveals How Times Have Changed
Sept. 3, 2009
1:28 p.m.
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Twice he's had the honor of serving as head coach of the
United States men's swimming team at the World University Games: first in
Beijing in 2001 and then in Belgrade, Serbia, this summer.
The experiences differed dramatically, says Mark Bernardino, the longtime coach
of the men's and women's teams at UVa.
The competition in Beijing preceded the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and
"the difference in security, the difference in the freedoms that the athletes
were allowed, was incredible," Bernardino said recently in his office at the
Aquatic and Fitness Center.
In China, the U.S. team was "able to tour Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City,
Mao Tse-Tung's tomb," Bernardino said. "We had had a day on the Great Wall. We
visited the Ming Dynasty tombs. We had the complete athletic and cultural
experience. We went in almost a week prior to the beginning of the meet and
trained and visited and had the cultural experience."
In Belgrade, Bernardino said, the Americans "went in 48 hours before the meet,
and we left the village eight hours after the swimming portion of the
competition ended.
"There was no cultural experience whatsoever other than the final night, when
after swimming we did a cruise down the Danube River. But we were unable to
really see any of the museums or any of the culture that existed in Serbia."
Serbians haven't forgotten the NATO bombings of their country in 1999. Ill will
toward Americans still exists, Bernardino said, and "there was a lot of security
concern from that respect. But in actuality, the vast majority of the people
that I encountered on a one-on-one basis were extremely pleasant, very outgoing
and very warm.
"I know that the [U.S. men's] basketball team, on the other hand, really took
the brunt of anger from the Serbian people at their competition venue. They were
lustily booed, as was the American delegation in the opening ceremonies.
Actually, they were jeered, I'll say. I don't think they boo [in Belgrade]. They
whistle and they jeer more than they boo.
"We didn't see any of that in the swimming venue. But whenever an American was
on the medal stand, there was no applause or no reception for an American
performance. There was no polite applause. It was just very quiet when an
American received a medal."
Bernardino, who has two degrees from UVa, is heading into his 32nd season as
coach of the swimming teams at his alma mater. The 'Hoos are two-time defending
ACC champions on both the men's and women's sides.
-- Jeff White
Men's Lacrosse Team Adds Transfer
Sept. 3, 2009
11:08 a.m.
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Coach Dom Starsia (Class of '74) is no longer the only Brown
alumnus in the UVa men's lacrosse program.
Todd Faiella, who graduated from Brown in the spring, will use his final season
of lacrosse eligibility at Virginia.
As a Brown freshman, Faiella played on the football team that won the Ivy League
championship. He didn't join the Bears' lacrosse team until his sophomore year.
Graduate students are not allowed to compete for Ivy League teams, so Faiella
applied to -- and was recently accepted into -- a graduate program at UVa.
"He's been a fun kid to get to know," Starsia said. "Everybody at Brown said
that even if he wasn't able to play a minute for you, he's the kind of kid you'd
want to have in your program."
At Brown, the 6-2, 210-pound Faiella played several positions, including
long-stick midfielder. Where UVa will use him isn't clear, though Starsia said
it will probably be on the defensive end.
It may be a while before that question is answered. Faiella is recovering from a
spring operation on his Achilles tendon and might not get cleared to practice
this fall.
"I have no expectation for him at this time," Starsia said. "We've just got to
wait to see what he can do when he gets healthy."
A year ago, the Cavaliers added another transfer with an Ivy League degree,
Dartmouth alumnus Chad Gaudet. Competing as a graduate student in 2009, he took
most of Virginia's faceoffs.
-- Jeff White
UVa Insider, The Column - Doug Doughty/Roanoke Times
UVA INSIDER, THE COLUMN
Awaiting me when I turned on my office computer this morning was an e-mail link
to website, SouthernPigskin.com.
I wasn’t familiar with that site, which is in the midst of a series called
“Perfect Ten,” on the top football players at various southern programs since
1973, or the “post-Vietnam era.”
Having seen every UVa football team since 1973, most as the beat reporter, I was
interested in the choices. Without providing any forward, here they are.
1. Thomas Jones, RB (1996-1999)
2. Chris Slade, DE (1989-92)
3. Jim Dombrowski, OT (1982-85)
4. Tiki Barber, RB (1993-96)
5. Ronde Barber, CB (1993-96)
6. Herman Moore, WR (1987-90)
7. Chris Long, DE (2004-2007)
8. Anthony Poindexter, S (1995-98)
9. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, OL (2002-2005)
10. Heath Miller, DE (2002-2005)
I’ll begin my review by saying that there aren’t any dogs on the list. They’re
all good players and almost certainly would belong in a top 15.
But, I don’t know how you can put together a list of the greatest UVa football
players and not include Shawn Moore and Matt Schaub.
Moore was the best UVa football player I have ever seen. And, if your list is
headed by the top rusher in school history (Jones), then the top passer (Schaub)
ought to be on there somewhere.
It’s as if the pages in the UVa media guide stuck together and the
SouthernPigskin.com staff inadvertently omitted the quarterbacks. Maybe Moore
and Schaub were the only ones who belonged on the list, but there were some
other good ones.
Ex-UVa quarterback Matt Blundin was the ACC player of the year in 1991, as was
former Cavaliers’ running back Barry Word in 1984. Blundin, a four-year
basketball letterman, basically had a one-year football career. Word rushed for
more yards as a senior (1,224) than he did in his other three years combined
(1,033).
Blundin and Word wouldn’t belong in a top 10. But, Moore and Schaub would. They
would be in my top five. But, who else?
And, who would you drop?
Sorry, Chris Long wouldn’t make my top 10. Top 10 seasons, maybe, but not top 10
careers. He made first-team All-ACC as a senior and didn’t make first- or
second-team in any other season.
Long would have been better off if he had redshirted as a freshman in 2004, but
that assumes that he would have come back for a fifth year in 2008, which would
have been a big maybe.
Two other players on the top 10, Herman Moore and Ronde Barber, passed up their
final season of college eligibility.
Should that have counted against them? Not necessarily, but I think it would
give the edge to a four-year player like Poindexter when stacked up against
Ronde Barber, his contemporary in the UVa secondary.
Jim Dombrowski, recently elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, was
joined by D’Brickashaw Ferguson as the only offensive linemen on the
SouthernPigskin.com list.
Were Dombrowski and Ferguson better than Mark Dixon? All three made first-team
AP All-American. Ray Roberts and Elton Brown would belong among my top five UVa
offensive lineman. Brown just pulverized people.
Dombrowski and Ferguson were taken higher than the others in the NFL Draft, but,
if pro football careers were included in the criteria, you’d have to take James
Farrior, now entering his 13th NFL season. Farrior never got higher than
second-team All-ACC but he might end up in the NFL Hall of Fame.
So might the Barber twins, but was Barber a better college running back than
Terry Kirby? I’d say so, but it was close. Kirby held the school rushing record
(3,348) for four years before Barber (3,389) came along and broke it
Kirby had a higher yards per-carry average (5.9) than either Barber (5.2) or
Jones (4.9). All three were outstanding receivers, but only Kirby had more than
100 career receptions.
I’d put all three on my top 10, along with Moore, Schaub, Slade, Dombrowski,
Ronde Barber, Poindexter and Herman Moore.
That leaves out Long, Ferguson and Miller. Who would you pick?
Payne leaves Virginia program
By Jay Jenkins
Published: September 4, 2009
A career that offered so much promise initially has apparently ended
prematurely.
According to sources, Virginia running back Keith Payne left the school’s
football team with the season opener against William & Mary a day away.
It is unclear if Payne will return prior to the season opener.
Payne, a junior, played at times last year at fullback and tailback but missed
five games after breaking a bone in his hand late in an ugly loss at Duke. He
finished with five carries for 36 yards, all in the Duke game.
As a redshirt freshman in 2007, Payne rushed for 219 yards, which ranked fourth
on the team.
Despite being praised at times in the preseason by Virginia coach Al Groh, Payne
apparently had slipped to fourth on the depth chart behind Mikell Simpson,
Torrey Mack and Rashawn Jackson and would have had a limited, if any, role on
special teams.
A SuperPrep All-American out of Oakton High, Payne led his team to the state
championship as a senior and was the Group AAA player of the year after rushing
for 2,059 yards and 26 touchdowns.
The timing of his move leaves open the possibility of a transfer to another
school that has not started classes.
Payne was unavailable for comment and a spokesperson for the university would
not confirm or deny that Payne left the team.
U.Va. football notes
By Staff Reports
Published: September 4, 2009
RB listed as probable
Cavaliers starting running back Mikell Simpson is "probable" for tomorrow's
opener against William and Mary with a foot injury. He has been seen in a
walking boot recently.
His backup is heralded freshman Torrey Mack, who coach Al Groh said will play a
role in the offense regardless of Simpson's status.
The only other significant medical issue is a knee injury to starting fullback
Rashawn Jackson, whose role is unclear in the team's new spread offense.
Sophomore Curt Orshoski is the backup.
Deep Run walk-on could start at WR
This season's Rudy story could be happening in Charlottesville.
Matt Snyder, a sophomore walk-on who attended Deep Run High School, has been
listed on the top of the depth chart at wide receiver.
Coaches praised his attention to detail during the past season of practices --
but kept Snyder in the dark. He was informed by a reporter that he was a
first-teamer.
"If that's what it says, that's great," he said. "If I get in the game, I'll
feel very pleased and blessed."
Snyder's brother Jake, also a former Wildcat, joins the team this year as a
defensive lineman.
Night games not norm
When U.Va. kicks off tomorrow, it could be the only night game of the season at
Scott Stadium. Next week, the Cavs host TCU in an afternoon game, and all start
times after that will be dictated by the ACC as part of the television package
-- with the exception of the game against Indiana.
Groh said that tomorrow afternoon he would gather the team to go over some late
instructions, mostly in the interest of keeping the players occupied during the
long wait to kickoff.
"There's a lot of dead time in there that you can't do much with. Obviously,
we're not going to go out and take a run or practice some more," he said.
Sometimes some players, when they're not used to that, will just be lying
around, and they get antsy." --Michael Phillips
Will the Cavaliers be spread too thin?
Impact players
■QB Vic Hall Hall is finally getting the ball in his hands. A state high school
legend, he played cornerback for three years before getting a surprise start at
QB against Virginia Tech last year. Look for the dynamic Hall to rotate with
Jameel Sewell, possibly shifting to slot receiver or RB at times in the new
spread offense.■QB Jameel Sewell Sewell returns after a year-long academic
suspension. He’ll get on the field one way or another – at QB or as a receiver
in tandem with Hall. A streaky passer and elusive runner, Sewell led the Cavs to
five wins by two points or fewer in 2007.
■RT Will Barker He has started 37 straight games. With Eugene Monroe moving to
the NFL, he becomes the leader of an offensive line that returns four starters.
Expect Barker to follow in a long line of Cavalier linemen selected early in the
NFL draft. ■CB Ras-I Dowling A Deep Creek High grad, he has five career
interceptions and was a preseason All-ACC pick. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he’s
got excellent size for a cornerback. He’ll team with 6-2, 210-pound Chris Cook
to give Virginia two of the ACC’s biggest, and best, corners.
Emerging star
■WR Javaris Brown Virginia is in need of playmakers for its new spread offense
and Brown, a speedy redshirt freshman, is one of the leading candidates. He
dazzled in practice last year and impressed during the spring game. He’s one of
several young receivers who’ll be counted on grow up quickly.
By Ed Miller
The Virginian-Pilot
© September 4, 2009
It sounds like the football equivalent of the government’s Cash for Clunkers
program: Trade in your sputtering, inefficient offense for a sleek new model.
That’s what Virginia has essentially done, scrapping its old conventional
“attack” (perhaps too strong a word in the case of the Cavaliers) in favor of a
spread offense, and replacing much-maligned offensive coordinator Mike Groh, the
coach’s son, with spread guru Gregg Brandon.
Hopes are high, especially among fans, but revving up an offense is not that
simple. For while a scheme can help, the question, as Virginia prepares for a
season that could be Al Groh’s last as head coach, is whether the Cavaliers have
the talent to make it hum.
Brandon thinks so.
“We’re not thin at receiver, but we’re young there,” he told reporters at media
day last month. “Those guys will continue to mature and grow. ... But we’re
certainly good at running back, quarterback and our offensive line.”
Virginia doesn’t lack for options at the skill positions, but it’s short on
proven playmakers. Vic Hall, who has been the people’s choice at quarterback
since he arrived four years ago, will finally get the ball in his hands, won’t
he? Or will the trigger man be Jameel Sewell, back after a year’s academic
suspension? Will they rotate? Both play at once? Even as the opener was
approaching, Groh wasn’t saying.
As Brandon said, the receivers are young. At tailback, Mikell Simpson is the
only player with significant experience.
The line looks good, though, and on the bright side, the offense has nowhere to
go but up after ranking among the worst in the nation each of the past three
years.
How much it improves could tell the story of the season. Groh, feeling heat
after two five-win seasons in the past three years, has shown he can
consistently put together good defenses. Even with questions at linebacker, the
Cavaliers have enough up front and in the secondary to be good once again.
It all seems to be hinging on the offense. Prognosticators aren’t expecting much
from Virginia, picking the Cavaliers above only Duke in the Coastal Division. If
they are right, year nine of the Groh era might not be a new beginning, but a
last stand.
William & Mary Coach in It for the Long Run
Laycock Has Built Himself a Legacy
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
WILLIAMSBURG -- When Jimmye Laycock accepted the job as football coach at
William & Mary in 1980, he received some advice from Pat Dye, who was soon to
take over the head coaching job at Auburn:
"Go there like you'll be there forever," Dye told him, "but get out of there the
first chance you get."
At the time, it seemed like sage advice. William & Mary, Laycock's alma mater,
had won six or more games just four times in the previous 25 years, and he
inherited facilities so poor that the team shuttled to a nearby mental
institution to practice on its grounds. Zable Stadium's locker rooms were so
small, freshmen changed in a separate annex. The building lacked air
conditioning, and positional meetings were conducted in the same room at the
same time in the thick Virginia heat.
Laycock now has an air-conditioned corner office in an $11 million,
30,000-square-foot facility that was privately funded and bears his name.
Looking back recently on Dye's advice, and with the disdain of a modest man
forced to speak about himself, Laycock deadpanned: "Maybe I ain't smart enough
to figure the second part out."
On Saturday, Laycock, 61, will begin his 30th season at William & Mary with a
game at Virginia. Among division I or I-AA coaches, he trails only Penn State's
Joe Paterno, Albany's Bob Ford and Florida State's Bobby Bowden in terms of
tenure at one school.
Laycock never climbed the coaching ladder. Instead, he built his own legacy at a
program he loves nestled in a community he appreciates. And those who know him
identify the same reason: He fits. At the nation's second-oldest university in a
town dedicated to preserving the past, the football coach has never left.
"Jimmye Laycock is synonymous with William & Mary," said Troy Keen, a former
running back who is a vice president with Wells Fargo Securities. "It's hard to
imagine one without the other."
He could have ascended to programs with more prestige, better facilities and
larger budgets. Boston College offered Laycock its head coaching job in 1990,
and Laycock even accepted the post before phoning the athletic director at 5:20
the following morning to turn it down. He wasn't prepared to leave home. The job
instead went to Tom Coughlin, who later coached the New York Giants to a Super
Bowl title.
Laycock interviewed for Maryland's head coaching vacancy in 1991 and declined
offers from Duke and Southern Methodist, among others. He once even passed on an
overture from Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen, then the San Diego Chargers'
offensive coordinator, to coach quarterbacks in the NFL.
He emphasizes he has no regrets, although he has wondered what might have been
had he followed a traditional coaching path and moved up that ladder. But
Laycock abruptly banishes the thought, because who knows what would happen, he
says. He could have been fired from the next job, or left on his own.
So he stayed and guided his acclaimed offenses in small-conference games that
were often relegated to regional radio. As a result, Laycock is seldom discussed
among the game's legendary coaches.
"He should be. He really should be," Friedgen said.
Laycock squirms at the questions about his legacy. Even though he has won 189
games, he is known as much for what his players have done after leaving the
program as what they did while they played.
Mike Tomlin, who played at William & Mary from 1990 to 1994, became the youngest
head coach to win a Super Bowl when he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the NFL
title last season. Tom Dexter, who played from 1987 to 1991, is a senior vice
president at Merrill Lynch. J.D. Gibbs, who graduated in 1992, is the team
president of Joe Gibbs Racing.
"We have other ones who've gone into other fields who aren't as recognizable as
a Mike Tomlin, but they've been extremely successful in other fields," Laycock
said. "Number one is bringing in good, solid guys, and then it's working like
crazy to get them to reach their potential."
Although Laycock is quick to mention the successful alumni outside of football,
there is a growing fraternity of men who coached or played under Laycock.
Laycock's original staff included Friedgen, Washington Redskins special teams
coordinator Danny Smith and Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott played for Laycock,
thriving as a walk-on. On Aug. 20, McDermott coached on the opposite sideline
from Indianapolis Colts defensive backs coach Alan Williams, who played at
William & Mary from 1988 to 1991 and coached from 1996 to 2000.
They remain loyal to Laycock and the William & Mary program, insisting it's
impossible to understand what the coach has done by simply looking at his
record. Before the Jimmye Laycock Football Center was completed in 2008, the
combination of inadequate facilities, sub-par funding and uncompromised academic
regulations made William & Mary a challenging place to win.
"The joke in recruiting here is, 'What's your name and what's your SAT scores?'
" Athletic Director Terry Driscoll said. "Because that could end a
conversation."
Said Laycock: "Before we had [the new facility], there's a whole lot more
reasons not to win than there were why to win. No question. You say you're going
to win in football, you got to get kids in school, you got to have great
facilities, all that kind of stuff. You go around the country, they'll say you
got to have it. You got to spend a lot of money on coaches. We didn't do that.
You got to spend a lot of money on recruiting. We didn't do that."
Laycock was sensitive about keeping football within moderation of other sports
in the athletic department -- a rarity in college sports -- and only started
pushing for a building a decade ago, when his son asked why the tennis team had
received a new facility.
Then his 2004 team advanced to the division I-AA semifinals, kick-starting the
fundraising for the Jimmye Laycock Football Center. It could have been completed
earlier than 2008, but Laycock waited until there was enough money to build it
right.
Friedgen and Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer attended the football facility's
unveiling in June 2008. They were all on the same staff at The Citadel in the
early 1970s, young assistants working for little and dreaming big.
"Who would have thought that two out of three would be millionaires?" Laycock
said. "But I got my name on the building!"
Friedgen and Beamer are ACC coaches with recognizable names and programs that
command attention. Laycock has stayed in Williamsburg, living in comparative
obscurity in the same house since 1991. But his sizable legacy could be seen at
the building's dedication, when the lawyers and businessmen and Super
Bowl-winning coach all returned to pay homage to the man who set the foundation.
"I'm into players practicing the right way, doing things the right way, coaches
handling things the right way," Laycock said. "Next thing you know, you're into
it for 30 years."
White: Talent Level Rising In Baseball Program
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/02/2009
By Jeff White
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- When the Major League Baseball draft ended in early June, the
uncertainty began for UVa coach Brian O'Connor.
Five of his 12 recruits for the 2009-10 academic year had been drafted,
including heralded pitcher Branden Kline, a sixth-round pick of the Boston Red
Sox, and O'Connor didn't know how of those five would actually enroll at
Virginia in August.
"Every summer is a long summer as a college baseball coach," O'Connor said the
other day in his University Hall office. "If you're going to recruit talented
players, professional baseball is equally as interested in them. After the draft
happens, it makes it a long summer, because you truly don't know until that
deadline what the group's going to look like."
This has been an unforgettable year for O'Connor, whose team won the ACC title
and advanced to the College World Series for the first time in school history,
and his good fortune seems to be continuing.
The fall semester started at UVa last week, and O'Connor has a dozen new
players.
"I thought it was a long shot that all 12 were going to end up here, but they
were all very committed to coming," O'Connor said. "They're coming here not just
for the baseball, but also for the education. But it's rare [at this level] to
get your entire recruiting class to come."
Ten of the 12 -- see the entire list below -- are first-years at UVa. The
exceptions are juniors Kenny Swab and Cody Winiarski, each of whom transferred
to Virginia from a junior college.
In addition to Kline, UVa recruits drafted in June were Stephen Bruno, a
26th-round pick of the Yankees; infielder Reed Gragnani, a 27th-round pick of
the Red Sox; first baseman/third baseman Robert Amaro, a 40th-round pick of the
Phillies; and Swab, a 48th-round pick of the Reds who plays catcher, first base
and in the outfield.
Overall, O'Connor said, "I think it's possibly the most talented class that
we've ever brought in here, and we've brought in some pretty good recruiting
classes. It's a real athletic class, from a position-player standpoint. There's
a lot of guys with versatility. There's some physical kids in the class, and I
think that there's five good arms on the mound."
He added: "This group also academically is a terrific group. I feel like this
group of players really fits into what type of player, person and student we're
looking for. There's some really tremendous students in this group, some who
have gained admission to UVa on their own."
The class includes four full-time pitchers -- right-handers Kline, Winiarski and
Whit Mayberry and lefty Aaron Stull -- as well as Ryan Briggs. A right-hander
from Omaha, Neb., a city the Cavaliers hope to visit again in 2010, Briggs can
play the outfield but for now is concentrating on his pitching.
In 2009, the Wahoos hit 59 home runs, far and away their highest total in
O'Connor's six seasons. At least three of the newcomers -- Swab (6-1, 190),
Amaro (6-3, 205) and catcher/first baseman Ryan Levine (6-0, 215) -- project "to
be players that can hit the ball out of the ballpark, just because of their size
and how physical they are," O'Connor said.
He singled out Bruno, Gragnani, Chris Taylor and Colin Harrington as "middle
infielders that are really athletic ... I think any time you can get guys that
can legitimately play shortstop or the middle of the diamond, you've got a good
class. But they also have versatility. Somebody could move to third base, some
of them can play the outfield."
Virginia's starting position players from last season are back. Even so,
O'Connor stressed, is guaranteed a job.
"These new players will jump right in there and compete with those returning
veterans," he said. "Time will tell. We'll find out through the course of this
year how many of these guys are truly going to make an impact right away."
Freshmen who did so last season included Steven Proscia, John Hicks, Keith
Werman and Danny Hultzen, who became U.Va.'s first ACC freshman of the year.
When that class signed, O'Connor believed it would be a talented group, but he
didn't know how much it would contribute until the team started fall ball in
2008.
"When you get a chance to see a player play every day against this level of
competition, you start to get an understanding of what a player is truly capable
of doing at this level, day in and day out," O'Connor said.
"When you go out and recruit players and you see them, you get brief glimpses of
them, and you see their athletic ability. But what you don't know is how a
player handles adversity. How does he handle having a bad day and having to come
back the next day and be better? And that's what a lot of it is at this level,
being able to make adjustments, and you don't see whether the player has that
ability to make adjustments until you're around him every day."
The full effect of the run to Omaha may not be felt for a while, but O'Connor,
not surprisingly, expects the CWS experience to make UVa more attractive to
prospects.
"Players want to go to a program where they can develop and move on to
professional baseball, but they also want know that they're going to be in a
winning program," he said. "And we've shown for six years here that this is a
very consistent and winning program, and that players are going to develop and
move along to professional baseball and have success in pro ball.
"Also with that, players want to play in the College World Series, and now we've
knocked that door down and proved to recruits that the University of Virginia
can play in Omaha."
It doesn't hurt, either, to have former UVa stars Ryan Zimmerman and Mark
Reynolds distinguishing themselves at the sport's highest level.
"Obviously the success we've had, going to Omaha and all that, helps," O'Connor
said. "But then when you have players that have success at the major leagues,
like a Zimmerman and Reynolds, it proves to recruits out there that you can come
to the University of Virginia and have a great winning experience, get your
education and, if it's in the cards, potentially play in the major leagues one
day."
MEET THE NEW 'HOOS
To a baseball team that last season went 49-15-1, won the ACC baseball title and
advanced to the College World Series, UVa coach Brian O'Connor has added 12
recruits. In alphabetical order, they are:
* IB/3B Robert Amaro, freshman, 6-3, 205, Bensalem, Pa.
* RHP/OF Ryan Briggs, freshman, 6-1, 190, Omaha, Neb.
* IF Stephen Bruno, freshman, 5-9, 165, Audobon, N.J.
* IF Reed Gragnani, freshman, 6-0, 175, Richmond, Va.
* IF/OF Colin Harrington, freshman, 5-9, 170, Johnstown, Pa.
* RHP Branden Kline, freshman, 6-3, 190, Frederick, Md.
* C/1B Ryan Levine, freshman, 6-0, 215, Hackensack, N.J.
* RHP Whit Mayberry, freshman, 6-0, 180, Alexandria, Va.
* LHP Aaron Stull, freshman, 6-5, 180, Newport, N.C.
* C/1B/OF Kenny Swab, junior, 6-1, 190, Kernersville, N.C.
* IF Chris Taylor, freshman, 5-11, 160, Virginia Beach, Va.
* RHP Cody Winiarski, junior, 6-3, 195, Franksville, Wis.
Virginia Baseball Announces Fall Schedule
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/02/2009
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia head baseball coach Brian O'Connor has announced
his team's upcoming fall schedule, which includes several open practices as well
as the program's annual Orange and Blue World Series. Fall practice kicks off on
Monday (Sept. 7) at 2:15 p.m. at Davenport Field. That practice, as well as five
others, is open to the public.
Included in the open practices is an alumni game, set for Saturday, Sept. 12 at
10 a.m.
Virginia begins the Orange and Blue World Series on Monday, Oct. 5 at Davenport
Field. All seven games of the series are free of charge and will begin at 6 p.m.
UVa returns 23 letterwinners, including its entire starting lineup, from the
2009 team, which reached the College World Series for the first time in program
history and posted a school-record 49 wins. The Cavaliers also welcome a dozen
newcomers into the fold.
Open Practices
Sept. 7 - 2:15-4:15 p.m.
Sept. 11 - 2:15-4:15 p.m.
Sept. 12 - 10 a.m.-Noon (Alumni Game)
Sept. 13 - 1-4:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 - 6-9 p.m.
Sept. 26 - 8:30-11 a.m.
Orange & Blue World Series
*Free to public
*All games are at 6 p.m.
Game 1: Monday, October 5
Game 2: Tuesday, October 6
Game 3: Thursday, October 8
Game 4: Tuesday, October 13
Game 5: Thursday, October 15
Game 6: Friday, October 16
Game 7: Tuesday, October 20
Potential Rain Dates:
Wednesday, October 7
Wednesday, October 14
Wednesday, October 21
Gelnovatch debuts new attacking look
By Whitey Reid
Published: September 4, 2009
George Gelnovatch, as one might expect, is a soccer nut. If there’s a game on
television, it’s a good bet that the Virginia coach is watching it or at least
planning to.
It was earlier this summer when Gelnovatch was taking in some action and noticed
a unique formation in which one of the teams had everyone but three players
pushing forward.
After giving the idea some thought, Gelnovatch realized that it might work well
with his personnel at Virginia.
“This formation is very attack-oriented, very aggressive,” Gelnovatch said. “It
asks a lot of the outside backs and midfielders. It’s a lot of work for those
guys.
“We feel that by advancing our outside backs out of build-up, pushing them up
high, that we’re putting teams on their heels. To do that, you have to be a good
team and have players like Jonathan Villanueva and Tony Tchani, and Matt
Mitchell and Ross LaBauex and Neil Barlow — guys who are smart and experienced.”
Tonight, Gelnovatch will unveil his new creation when Virginia opens its regular
season on the road at Portland as part of the Nike Invitational.
During the preseason, the new system didn’t look so hot — at least at first
glance. UVa lost to George Mason, Old Dominion and West Virginia by a 6-1
combined score.
However, Gelnovatch said the results were deceiving. The Cavaliers dominated
possession. They just couldn’t finish on the offensive end. Gelnovatch said the
way his team controlled the ball was like a form of defense.
Virginia also didn’t have Tchani at full strength. The sophomore from Cameroon,
who led the team in scoring in 2008 and was named ACC rookie of the year, is
still rounding back into shape from a knee injury. Gelnovatch believes Tchani is
getting close.
“He’s still trying to get his rhythm and form back,” said Gelnovatch, whose team
opens its home schedule next Friday night against Duke. “When he gets his full
swagger again, he’ll score goals.”
Jimmy Simpson and Brian Ownby, who also had nagging injuries during the
preseason, are expected back tonight.
Meanwhile, Chris Agorsor, who had a solid freshman season last season, has
gotten NCAA eligibility issues resolved but won’t play in Portland as he
continues to get back into shape following a knee injury.
One of the biggest differences from last year — aside from the team’s new
alignment — is in goal.
Diego Restrepo, a transfer from South Florida, replaces the graduated Michael
Giallombardo.
“He’s been really impressive,” LaBauex said. “In the spring, he always came up
with that one big save that kept us in the game.”
“He’s unbelievable,” added junior defender Hunter Jumper. “He has the whole
resume. It’s a good feeling knowing if you get beat, he’s there.”
Last season, Virginia failed to win an NCAA tournament game for the first time
since 2002. After receiving a first-round bye, UVa was upset at home by
Connecticut.
LaBauex believes the team has more experience than that squad.
“I think we’re pretty strong everywhere — from our goalie to our attack, to our
midfield,” he said. “I think we have a good corps of guys who can actually play
a lot of different positions and we can interchange a lot of people.”
Throw-ins
Tonight will be the first-ever meeting between Virginia and Portland. The Pilots
finished last season with an 8-10-2 record, including a 5-7 mark in the West
Coast Conference … UVa concludes its participation in the Nike invitational with
a Sunday afternoon game against Washington.
Shabaz Falls in US Open Doubles First Round
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/02/2009
FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. – Virginia junior tennis player Michael Shabaz (Fairfax,
Va.) made his debut at the US Open Wednesday on the third day of play at the
Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Shabaz and partner Wayne Odesnik fell
in the first round of doubles to John Isner and Sam Querrey 6-3, 6-4.
“It was definitely a little nerve wracking,” said Shabaz of his first US Open
main draw experience. “We had a good crowd on our court and it took a little
while to adjust to being in that spotlight. I haven’t played here since 2005 (in
the juniors), but playing in a Grand Slam is a lot different than any other
tournament or college match you play.”
Shabaz, the NCAA Doubles Champion last season with Dominic Inglot, received a
wild card to play in the Open with Odesnik, the No. 86 ranked player in the
world. The duo was broken once in each set and couldn’t take advantage of two
break point chances against the big-serving rising American stars.
“All four of us know each other well and grew up playing against each other in
the juniors,” said Shabaz. “To be on the court with three guys ranked in the top
100 in the world was a great learning experience for me. Today, John and Sam
showed why they are top 60 players.”
Shabaz became the first active Cavalier player to ever appear in the main draw
of a Grand Slam tournament. He also became the first player from UVa (active or
former) to play in the US Open doubles main draw since Geoff Macdonald in 1982.
Former Cavalier Somdev Devvarman, who made his Grand Slam singles main draw
debut Monday with a straight set win over Frederico Gil of Portugal will return
to action on Thursday as he meets No. 23 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany
in the second round. That match is the fourth and final match scheduled for
Court 4.
No, Not Just Cavs Posted 2009-09-02
By Matthew Stoss
HARRISONBURG - For nearly 20 years, Mac McDonald was the radio voice of
University of Virginia sports.
He broadcast the Cavaliers' first bowl game in 1984. He called U.Va.'s Ralph
Sampson-led run to the 1981 Final Four. He was there for Herman Moore, Tiki
Barber and Thomas Jones.
Now, McDonald is trying to distance himself from being just a Virginia guy in an
effort to make his new daily radio show, "Inbounds," a success.
"Maybe that stigma will be here today. Maybe it's here tomorrow, but I think
after a couple of weeks of the show, I think people will forget that," McDonald
said this week from Charlottesville.
"Inbounds," which debuted this week, is a regionally focused sports talk show
hosted by McDonald on three Virginia radio stations, including WHBG-AM 1360 in
Harrisonburg. It airs from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, preempting the last
hour of "The Scott Van Pelt Show" and other ESPN Radio programming locally.
The other two stations carrying McDonald's show are WKAV in Charlottesville,
where McDonald broadcasts live from The Boathouse restaurant, and WREL in
Lexington.
McDonald is conscious of not making "Inbounds" a U.Va.-centric show. To that
end, he plans to do on-location broadcasts tied to key sporting events: perhaps
coming to Harrisonburg, for example, the week of the James Madison football
team's home opener against Virginia Military Institute on Sept. 19.
"I want the show to be mobile," McDonald said. "We want to bring the event to
the listeners."
McDonald also wants to expand the show beyond the three stations currently
carrying it. He hopes to turn "Inbounds" into a widely syndicated show, starting
with the state and eventually moving into the entire Atlantic Coast Conference
region. So even though U.Va., Virginia Tech and other state schools will get the
bulk of the attention for now, McDonald won't shy away from discussing big
regional games like Florida State-Miami in football or Duke-North Carolina in
basketball.
"A year from now, it's lofty, but I would like to have 100 stations," said
McDonald, a Des Moines, Iowa, native who graduated from Northwest Missouri
State. "I would like to have the majority of the ACC and be in the majority of
the ACC markets."
That makes sense considering the ACC is McDonald's area of expertise. He had two
stints doing play-by-play for U.Va. The first was from 1980-85, which ended when
he left to pursue television opportunities with Jefferson Pilot. He returned to
Virginia in 1996 before resigning in the spring of 2008, telling the Roanoke
Times that he wanted to "become more of my own boss." Beyond U.Va., he also has
done play-by-play for Wake Forest.
Since leaving the Cavaliers a second time, the 56-year-old McDonald said, he has
been working on a biography of former U.Va. and Notre Dame athletic director
Gene Corrigan. McDonald said the book is "90 percent" complete.
Given his strong ties to the Cavaliers, the question is: Will McDonald's show be
diverse enough to take it where he wants it to go?
McDonald is certainly making an effort: His first-ever guest was Virginia Tech
radio color commentator Mike Burnop on Monday.
But that doesn't mean he's denying his U.Va. roots, a smart move in a state
dominated by the Cavaliers, along with the Hokies and Redskins. Ex-Cavs
basketball coach Pete Gillen appeared on the air Monday, and McDonald said in an
interview with the News-Record that he considers himself "very good friends"
with Al Groh and Virginia's football coaching staff.
Being friends with sports figures, of course, has its pluses and minuses. On the
one hand, you can get people to come on your show. On the other, it makes it
more difficult to ask tough questions.
McDonald said he doesn't plan to be an "attack" style host, driven by criticism.
He said he will focus on analysis and believes his inside information gives him
the appropriate perspective to do that.
"When you've been associated with a school, naturally people are going to think
that right away," McDonald said. "But I am going to be very conscious of the
other schools. I had Mike Burnop as my very first guest. As far as the history
of the radio show, a Virginia Tech guy was my very first guest. I am going to
make a very concerted effort."
The important people believe McDonald will appeal to more than just U.Va.
homers.
"Go listen to the show," said Roger Aldhizer, vice president of sales and a
partner at Harrisonburg's MLC Advertising, which helps produce and distribute
"Inbounds" on its MLC Radio Network. "It's not just U.Va. or Charlottesville. It
reaches farther than U.Va. The reason people have U.Va. on their minds is
because he's only been away for a year. What he's done over the past 35 years
outweighs U.Va."
Oddly, perhaps, this is the first time in those 35 years that McDonald has had
his own show - not that that's a deterrent.
"He's got a ton of contacts and people willing to go on the air with him," said
Dennis Mockler, vice president and general manager of Monticello Media, which
operates WKAV and five other Charlottesville stations. "His primary focus is on
areas of interest to the people listening, and he knows the ACC very well. ...
"Mac has a good presence on the air. He's not easily flustered. He's got a good
personality. He can roll with the punches and think quickly, which is really
important when you don't have a song to bail you out."
McDonald said the genesis of the show was around June 1, when he sent a letter
to MLC looking for freelance work. MLC (which also produces and distributes Andr?
Viette's "In the Garden" show) and McDonald had a meeting, and "Inbounds" was
the result of the meeting.
McDonald also said he saw a void in national and regional radio that he thought
he could fill.
"The more I was listening to sports radio nationally and in the state, the more
I thought a lot of people were missing the point," McDonald said. "I don't want
to badmouth anybody, but I think I have a lot of stuff I could add."
So far, the show has stable backers. It secured Pepsi as its frontline sponsor
for the next year, and Aldhizer said they are in negotiations to bring in
Comcast, as well. He also said the show is in talks with ESPN affiliates in
Norfolk, Richmond, Lynchburg, Danville and Bedford.
It is unclear why WHBG decided to preempt ESPN Radio's national programming.
Susanne Myers - who oversees WHBG as the general manager of sister station WSVA
- could not be reached for comment.
This is the second time in recent years that WHBG has chosen to carry local
programming in a prime spot. "The Sportsline," which aired from 6-8 p.m., lasted
seven months before the station reverted to ESPN Radio.
Tristan Spurlock Player Diary Entry #1
A top 100 player in the class of 2009, Tristan Spurlock from Word of Life (VA)
had a lot of college options, but decided on Virginia, where he has started his
freshman year. Spurlock was a member of the high-powered AAU squad Boo Williams
along with fellow UVA freshman Jontel Evans, both of whom stuck with their
commitments after Tony Bennett replaced Dave Leitao. Here's Tristan's first
player diary entry:
Hey this is Tristan Spurlock. I am a student-athlete at the University of
Virginia. So far school as been cool and very different from high school. The
classes are bigger and the days are way longer, but there is more free time. For
me, I have three classes on Wednesday that go from 9-9:50,10-10:50, and
11-11:50, but after that I'm done for the day for classes.
Last week we started workouts with the new staff, and they have been a lot
harder than any high school workout I've ever had. The game is much faster and
everyone is much stronger, so it takes a couple days to adjust to the speed.
Workouts can be at almost anytime, 6am or 3pm, it doesn't matter. Just don't be
late. The freshman duties haven't been that bad, yet. Besides me picking up all
the equipment I haven't had to do too much, and I hope that stays true.
The schedule is out and we have a lot of tough games like Stanford and Kentucky,
and we play in the best conference in the country which is the ACC! Well I got
class in an hour and we got workouts today after so I gotta go. I'll be back in
a week or two hopefully with an update on practice by then and hopefully Drake's
CD comes out soon so have some new workout music. Peace.