Basketball Coaches Address ACC Expansion
By Barry Svrluga
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 27, 2003; Page D03

GREENSBORO, N.C., Oct. 26 -- ACC Commissioner John Swofford huddled with his league's nine basketball coaches Sunday, trying to reassure the group that -- despite the league's football-oriented expansion process -- the conference won't stray from its basketball roots. The coaches, though, were at best reserved in their assessment of expansion, which will bring in Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004 and Boston College some time before 2006.

"The expansion, obviously, was done to bring in really strong teams for the football side of things and to have the playoff game when you had the two six-team divisions for football," Maryland Coach Gary Williams said.

"That's not new. That's not a judgment. That's just the way it went. . . . There's an unknown out there. We don't know how that's going to work or how it's going to happen."

At the morning meeting -- which preceded the ACC's annual preseason media get-together -- Swofford and the coaches discussed several issues related to expansion, including what the schedule will look like in a 12-team conference. The league already has announced that it will have two six-team divisions for football, but there doesn't seem to be support for the same format in basketball.

"I think [divisions] would be bad, because it divides a brand," Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "You start thinking, 'You're in the East, and I'm in the West.' Forget about it if we start naming them North and South. Imagine what . . . would happen then.

"I think ACC basketball should be looked at as one, as ACC basketball," he said, clenching his fist.

As the expansion process evolved through the spring and summer -- culminating earlier this month with the official invitation to Boston College -- the accompanying analysis focused almost exclusively on football.

Miami, the linchpin in the entire process, brings its nationally prominent football program. Virginia Tech, which received an invitation after political haggling in Virginia and infighting among ACC institutions, also is strong in football. Both, however, have weak followings and spotty records in basketball.

Though most ACC coaches stopped short of saying that they had been left out of the dialogue on expansion -- "This is who we are," Krzyzewski said, "we should make the most of it" -- Swofford said he felt the basketball coaches needed to be reassured.

"I thought it was important for us to talk about it," Swofford said. "Football was immediately enhanced because of the quality of the programs we brought in. I don't think it's to the detriment of basketball.

"There has been a lot of buzz about the football aspect to it, and rightfully so."

New North Carolina coach Roy Williams was at Kansas when the Big Eight added four schools to become the Big 12. He said the two processes were different.

"It wasn't quite as awkward as what we've gone through here, I can tell you that," Williams said. "[Nor was there] as much minutia around it -- and you can substitute any word you want to for 'minutia.' But you've got to understand that it's changing, and the fact is, whether we want to admit it or not, people don't like change.

"So there's going to be more negative thoughts than there are positive about an expansion, and even more so here, because this place has been so rich in the tradition of the Atlantic Coast Conference being the best basketball league. I've been asked: How did this help ACC teams in basketball? The only way I can say right now is, if it's helping the entire athletic department, that's going to help us."

ACC Notes: Duke was voted the preseason favorite to win the league, receiving 53 of 54 first-place votes. North Carolina was second, followed by Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Maryland, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Clemson. North Carolina point guard Raymond Felton was voted the preseason player of the year. Julius Hodge of North Carolina State, J.J. Redick of Duke, Vytas Danelius of Wake Forest and Tim Pickett of Florida State were also named to the preseason all-conference team.
 

Coachspeak
By FRANK DASCENZO : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
Oct 26, 2003 : 6:51 pm ET

GREENSBORO -- Ever see nine men try to like something when you wonder if they really do?

Every October the ACC commands its basketball head coaches to appear in front of the media. It's called ACC Operation Basketball. The print media and the electronic media get their chances for preseason material, much of which is stored somewhere on recorders and in notebooks for use if needed.

The tables on Sunday were marked with numbers. I chose nine. Each coach came by and here's a sample from each one you might find entertaining and even amusing. In order:

1. Virginia's Pete Gillen

Best quote: "I should have studied to become a lawyer, a writer or worked in a deli."

Most honest quote: "We must improve our half-court offense. I mean it has to improve. And we had too many turnovers [ACC-high 528] last year. I like our team but we don't have a star player."

Conclusion: These days, Virginia has turned to football for glory. Gillen is 35-45 in the ACC in five seasons and his last two teams finished fifth and sixth. His Cavaliers are 0-1 in the NCAA Tournament and 1-3 in the NIT.

2. Maryland's Gary Williams

Best quote: "When I was at Boston College in 1983-86, there was nothing going on but basketball. What do I think of ACC expansion? I think we can still be a dominating basketball league."

Most honest quote: "Yes, Duke has won five straight ACC Tournament championships, but I still think the champion should be recognized as the regular-season champion."

Conclusion: This guy can afford to offer a jab or two. In the last six seasons, Maryland has finished no lower than third in the ACC regular-season standings. Williams' NCAA Tournament record in that time is 17-5 with two Final Fours and a national title in 2002.

3. Wake Forest's Skip Prosser

Best quote: "I've only been in the ACC a couple years and I really trust Athletics Director Ron Wellman and President Thomas Hearn, who've supported expansion because they believe it's good for Wake Forest and the ACC."

Most honest quote: "One of the endearments of college basketball is you don't have guys with six- to eight-year contracts to deal with."

Conclusion: The 2003 ACC coach of the year, Prosser could have bolted for Pittsburgh, but he knew better. The situation here is real simple: Darn good coach at a darn good school.

4. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski

Best quote: "I haven't raised my voice once yet in practice." (Note: You'd never know it because he sounds as if he has laryngitis).

Most honest quote: "I think we could promote our league more."

Conclusion: Beginning his 24th season at Duke, Krzyzewski has three national titles and a 6-8 freshman named Luol Deng. Life is good in Durham.

5. Florida State's Leonard Hamilton

Best quote: "It's hard to evaluate freshmen. I mean do I go to the left or do I go to the right? It's those nauseating things which bother kids."

Most honest quote: "As players, we're in a learning mode. As coaches, we're in a teaching mode."

Conclusion: Watch this guy. Seven of FSU's 15 losses last season were by eight points or fewer, and the Noles like playing Duke in Tallahassee.

6. Clemson's Oliver Purnell

Best quote: "It's a dream come true to coach in the ACC. Clemson is a basketball sleeping giant."

Most honest quote: "Dayton has a tremendous team coming back, but this Clemson job was an opportunity I couldn't turn down."

Conclusion: Nice try on the "sleeping giant" line, Oliver. I wonder what Rick Barnes would say about it.

7. North Carolina's Roy Williams

Best quote: "I think the expectations are unrealistic because there's a fine line between winning and losing."

Most honest quote: "It's true, I demand more from my point guard than anybody else, so I won't really know about Raymond [Felton] until we're at least half-way through the season."

Conclusion: The Tar Heels are coming right back in the college basketball world -- and quickly, too.

8. N.C. State's Herb Sendek

Best quote: "Engin [Atsur] speaks English, Turkish and French and a little German. How many languages do I speak? One."

Most honest quote: "The California game was a painful loss."

Conclusion: Yes, Sendek is 10-7 in the ACC Tournament in seven seasons, and his last two teams were upper echelon finishers in the ACC regular-season. The '02 team tied for third and last year's team finished fourth. But Wolfpackers everywhere really want to know when their team will get on a roll in March.

9. Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt

Best quote: "Reggie Ball has tremendous poise." Right, the Georgia Tech football quarterback. Hewitt was asked it and he said it.

Most honest quote: "I'm gonna look for kids who can help us win and who can do the work at Georgia Tech."

Conclusion: Three years and three fifth-place finishes in the ACC for Hewitt.

 

BC's ACC entry date still unclear
The Herald-Sun
Oct 26, 2003 : 10:08 pm ET

GREENSBORO -- ACC commissioner John Swofford said it still was unclear when Boston College would join the ACC. The school, which accepted its invitation more than two weeks ago to leave the Big East, will join the ACC at the latest for the 2006 football season.

Swofford said looming expansion of other leagues could make it easier for Boston College to join sooner. The Big East is expected to pluck several Conference USA schools to take the place of Miami, Virginia Tech and BC. Miami and Virginia Tech accepted invitations last summer to join the ACC and will begin play in the league in the 2004-05 school year.

Boston College still must negotiate its exit from the Big East, and the ACC, Swofford said, would not have a role in that process.

Swofford said the league has heard from several Southern cities about hosting an ACC football title game, which can happen with a 12-team league and could with 11 teams. BC will become 12th ACC team. Charlotte, Atlanta and four Florida cities -- Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa -- have expressed interest in the ACC game.

In football, the 12 teams would be split into divisions to create pairings for the title game. In basketball, even with 12 schools, divisions will not be used.

"My sense is that maintaining a sense of family and the ACC brand is better addressed by not having divisions in basketball," Swofford said after a meeting with the basketball coaches.

A different ballgame

When Duke athletics director Joe Alleva fired football coach Carl Franks on Oct. 19, Alleva said that he would turn to men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski for his input on the coaching search.

But Krzyzewski, who attends most of Duke's home football games, said Sunday that he wasn't likely to offer any input -- at least not early in the process.

"I don't think it's appropriate for me to do that," Krzyzewski said. "If it got down to one or two people and they wanted me to have supper with them to get my impressions or something like that, I'd be more than happy to do that. But I have confidence that Joe will choose somebody who's real good."

Krzyzewski didn't attend Saturday's 28-21 loss to N.C. State because the basketball team had a videotape session early Saturday and then the Blue-White game Saturday evening.

"I think we can be good in football," Krzyzewski said. "I want Duke to win in everything."

ACC expansion benefits

Virginia coach Pete Gillen understands that the ACC's expansion was driven by football and money considerations. But he suggested that it might have some benefits in basketball

"Granted, we all know it was a football decision," Gillen said. "And I love [the round robin]. But something's been missing. We have not been getting enough teams in the NCAA Tournament.

"The other big conferences have been getting more. Sometimes they deserve more, sometimes they don't. Maybe with this change, instead of getting three or four of nine teams in, we'll get six of 12."

Virginia's Brown slimmer

When someone asked fired-up forward Elton Brown if his Virginia Cavaliers could bounce back from last season's disappointing showing, Brown talked about the team being hungry and about having the right ingredients in place.

Given that Brown shed nearly 35 pounds in the off-season, it's understandable that he'd use food for his thoughts.

"I'm totally different -- I feel much better now," said the 6-9 Brown, who went from 280 pounds to 247. "I feel good. I'm ready to go play now.

"I'm looking at all these other people here -- I'm ready to go box somebody out right now."

Last season, Brown could have easily been mistaken for his first cousin by the same name that played offensive line for the Virginia football team. But Brown shaved some pounds and shaved his sideburns, changing his look so much that a writer who covered the Cavaliers all of last season didn't even recognize him.

So how did Brown do it?

"Just diet and running and lifting weights every day. I ate grilled chicken, salad, fish."

Before the diet, Brown said he ate, "triple stacks, Big Macs, and whole pizzas at two o'clock in the morning."

Brown, like his team, showed flashes of brilliance last season but lacked consistency. In Virginia's loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals last season, Brown didn't score in the first half but then poured in 15 second-half points.

The new-look Brown is promising more 15-point halves and fewer scoreless ones.

"Scoring for me wasn't a problem, and I was out of shape. So I was like, 'If I can get in shape, I'm going to be a player,' " Brown said. "People talk about all these other big guys, but I'm not worrying about them. I don't really think that another big guy can do what I can do."

Defeat upsets Melvin

Marcus Melvin is mad at N.C. State teammate Scooter Sherrill.

The senior forward still hasn't gotten over the fact that Sherrill's team beat his team in the championship game of the summer Chavis League.

"I'm mad at him," Melvin said. "We were beating them by 25 points and he got us. He had a good game and I didn't get the ball in the last 10 minutes."

Melvin played on a team that featured former NBA player Chuckie Brown and Ron Taylor of UNC Greensboro. Sherrill's team also boasted former Shaw star Ron Murray.

"Murray had about 45," a glum Melvin complained.

Turn out the lights

UNC coach Roy Williams has joked about saving his timeouts to give indispensable point guard Raymond Felton an occasional rest.

But he's got a backup strategy.

"Behind Raymond, it's going to have to be Melvin [Scott]," he said. "And if both of them need a rest at the same time? Well, you know how Dean Smith always got accused of turning up the heat? I'm going to find the switch and if both Raymond and Melvin have to come out at the same time, we might have a little power failure."

ACC teams short-handed

Injuries and academic problems have sidelined a number of players around the league:

* Wake Forest will be without big man Chris Ellis, who broke a bone in his foot and will be out 8-to-10 weeks, according to Skip Prosser. The Deacs have also been hampered by tendonitis problems which have forced junior forward Vytas Danelius to miss several practices.

* Virginia will be without big man Jason Clark for at least the first semester. Cavaliers coach Pete Gillen can't comment on his status other than to note that the junior post player is in school. Reports are that academics are behind his absence. Reportedly, Clark can rejoin the team after first semester if his grades improve.

* N.C. State just lost sophomore guard Cameron Bennerman for 6-to-8 weeks with a broken hand. Junior center Jordan Collins will miss all first-semester games because of academics and freshman guard Engin Atsur will sit out the Pack's first three games because of his involvement with a professional league overseas.

"Early on, we'll be a shell of ourselves," Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek said. "The good news is that outside of Cameron, we'll have everybody at practice. But we're really looking forward to the time when we have our entire team together."

Quiet confidence

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is fighting through a bout with laryngitis, but he said he didn't lose his voice because of his team.

"You would think that I have been yelling and screaming, but I haven't raised my voice once in practice," Krzyzewski said. "Attitude-wise, it's been great."

Purnell's dream

First-year Clemson coach Oliver Purnell has coached in the ACC region, at Radford and Old Dominion, before coaching nine seasons at Dayton, where his teams won 20 or more games five of the past six seasons. He is happy to be back in ACC country, even if it's at a school more known for football.

"Coaching in the ACC is a dream job for me," Purnell said. "I think Clemson is a sleeping giant in basketball."

Purnell said one reason that the Clemson job appealed to him was that Terry Don Phillips, the athletics director, had worked at Oklahoma State and Arkansas, two schools that made Final Fours in the 1990s.

"He knows how important basketball is," Purnell said.

Beantown an ACC town?

Maryland's Gary Williams coached at Boston College from 1982-86. He said Boston was just like any other pro town, when it came to treatment by the media.

"If you're good, you'll get coverage," he said. Boston has produced some good players, Williams said, but the numbers were lessened by another sport. "It seems like half the kids play hockey and half play basketball," he said.

 

Maybe a sham, but no spam
Fans weigh in on LSU decision
By DOUG DOUGHTY
Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Fridays

For the first time in a long time Friday, I turned on the computer and had more legitimate e-mails than spam.
I say that without having opened the e-mail with the subject line, "Sexually Attract Men." I'm assuming that doesn't have anything to do with the Virginia Tech-West Virginia football game.

The first call on my voice mail, at 8:01 a.m. Friday, was a female Tech fan who was irate over the headline on my column: "Tech entirely out of control in ugly loss."

It was not the headline I would have written, but I've got to admit, I'm a wimp when it comes to headlines. As I've said here previously, a reporter or columnist doesn't write his or her headline, but headlines generally are written by somebody who has read the story. I did write, "The Hokies were out of control in virtually all phases of their organization." So, I can see where the headline-writer got his or her idea.

When you write a column, there usually are some things you would change the next day. Obviously, I wish I hadn't referred to Vegas Robinson as Vegas Ferguson. One caller reminded me that Vegas Ferguson was a Notre Dame running back in the 1970s.

Most of the debate stemmed from my criticism of Virginia Tech's decision to ask out of a 2004 game with LSU. A lot of people, including avowed Tech supporters, disagreed with the decision.

Some of the e-mails will be included in the Sports Mailbag that will appear in Saturday's print editions of The Roanoke Times. Others did not want to give their names, a condition for publication in the Sports Mailbag.

One Tech alumnus wrote, "Agree with you on the untested part.The alumni are going to make it loud and clear to [arthletic director] Jim Weaver that his scheduling practices are not acceptable."

On the other hand, another e-mailer said it was "slanderous" of me to ask in the final sentence, "What have you been doing with your money?"

Although it was the last line of the column, it was not my intention to imply that anybody was absconding with the money. I have read Mark Berman's story from the Oct. 15 edition of The Roanoke Times ("Leaving Big East Could Still Cost VT") and I have a letter on my desk from respected Roanoke lawyer Don Huffman in defense of the LSU decision.

I understand that it costs big money to expand Lane Stadium and there are fees associated both with joining the ACC and leaving the Big East. I also know that there are other college football programs that have expanded their stadiums and not had to play seven home games every year. In reading another Berman's article from Oct. 12 on retiring Virginia Tech vice president Minnis Ridenhour ("Tech Vice President Courted ACC Bid"), I also know that ACC official Jeff Elliott called Ridenhour on June 21 and asked for a comprehensive financial report that was provided the next day.

If the Tech athletic department is in such financial difficulty that it NEEDS a seventh home game, was that made apparent to the ACC? Then again, maybe this is just a momentary crisis caused by the loss of the Black Coaches' Association game that Tech had assumed would result in a $1 million windfall.

In talking about the exit and entrance fees, Weaver has said they will be taken care of through "cash reserves." So, where are the cash reserves now that the BCA game has fallen through?

In the end, I think it's a matter of what's right, money be damned. Take out a loan, if you have to.

If Tech aspires to be a national title contender, it needs to play a big-time schedule. Throw in a Western Michigan here or there, but the early season schedule that the Hokies played this year left them woefully unprepared for the challenge they faced Wednesday night in Morgantown.

I MUST ADMIT I was not outraged by the exchange Wednesday night in which Frank Beamer slapped wide receiver Ernest Wilford, although I'm aware that some of the readers are.

One response was to the sentence: "Beamer's actions were regrettable, as well as symbolic of an evening when the Hokies were out of control in virtually all phases of their operation."

The reader wrote, "Really, weren't his actions criminal? Can teachers, coaches, professors or others in charge of our young people hit them? Perhaps the rule just applies to those making teacher salaries below a million or those who educate rather than generate big dollars for a geographic area.

"I find the whole event to be rather perplexing and I can only explain it to myself in terms of Mr. Beamer's power. His power is somewhat deserved of course and I know he must regret his actions.

"I hope the community will try to understand and hopefully forgive Mr. Beamer's behavior. More importantly, I hope that we will be able to extend the same thoughtfulness to other coaches and teachers who may be as dedicated or even more dedicated but who do not generate the excitement, do not make huge salaries, and don't bring the community quickly visible dollars."

BECAUSE I WASN'T watching the television in the press box, except for replays, I didn't see the Beamer slap when it occurred. I'm still not sure of the context, although I assume it stemmed from one of the Hokies' six personal fouls.

Here's the first thing that came to my mind when I heard about the Beamer-Wilford incident: Kevin Clifford.

Clifford, it might be remembered, is the one-year Patrick Henry High School football coach who resigned in August after he was convicted of assaulting player Brett Esworthy after a game last November.

I'm not impartial on the subject. I've coached Clifford's oldest son in baseball and he's coached my younger son. I realize there is a difference between Beamer slapping a 23-year-old wearing a helmet and Clifford slapping a minor who wasn't wearing a helmet.

I also attended the hearing in Halifax County at which Clifford received a $50 fine. I didn't feel that Clifford's coaching career should have ended because of what he did, so it would be hypocritical of me to say that Beamer should be crucified as the result of his actions.
 

Second now their primary goal
Four more wins could give Cavs runner-up spot behind'Noles
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 27, 2003

Florida State has clinched at least a share of the ACC football title, and Bobby Bowden's squad figures to have the crown all to itself by the middle of next month. Nevertheless, many of the Seminoles' counterparts in the ACC still have plenty of incentive.

Take Virginia, for example. With a strong performance in November, the Cavaliers could finish second in the ACC for the second consecutive season. They could earn an invitation to the Gator Bowl or Peach Bowl. They could beat Virginia Tech for the first time since 1998.

Then there's worst-case scenario for Virginia: Al Groh's club could stagger down the stretch and fail to become bowl-eligible, which would be a bitter ending to a season that began with such promise.

"It'll be an interesting month," Groh said Saturday night after his team whipped Troy State 24-0 at Scott Stadium.

Virginia (3-2, 5-3) is one of four teams tied for second in the ACC, along with N.C. State (3-2, 6-3), Clemson (3-2, 5-3) and Georgia Tech (3-2, 5-3). Close behind that group is Maryland (2-2, 5-3).

U.Va. has four regular-season games left, starting Saturday with a visit to N.C. State. Then comes a Thursday-night game at Maryland on Nov. 13, followed by two dates at Scott Stadium: Nov. 22 against Georgia Tech and Nov. 29 against Virginia Tech.

That makes for a challenging stretch run, but Groh expected as much when he saw his 2003 schedule, and he didn't seem daunted by the prospect last night.

"I think we're, 1, in the same shape as everybody else and, 2, in the same shape we were last year," Groh said. "We've been here before."

A season ago, Virginia went 2-2 in November, losing at Penn State and Virginia Tech and winning home games against Maryland and N.C. State.

In the Cavaliers' 14-9 victory over the Wolfpack last season, their defense harassed quarterback Philip Rivers into what, by his lofty standards, was a subpar performance. Rivers completed 28 of 47 passes for 236 yards and ran for a touchdown, but he threw no TD passes and was intercepted once.

Now a senior, Rivers is the ACC's all-time leader in passing yardage, touchdown passes and total offense. The Wolfpack lost its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after last season, so its attack isn't identical to the one the Wahoos faced in 2002. But State's offense still revolves around Rivers' right arm, and Groh has a good idea what to expect at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Rivers will test Virginia's defense early and often, and that's one reason Groh tinkered with his secondary against Troy State. Senior Jamaine Winborne moved from cornerback to safety, and Tony Franklin took over at Winborne's former spot. Groh wanted this group to gain some experience before taking the field against Rivers.

Franklin was one of three freshman starters on defense against Troy State, along with linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham. The Cavaliers' first-team defense also includes sophomores Darryl Blackstock and Brennan Schmidt and juniors Chris Canty, Andrew Hoffman and Jermaine Hardy.