Cavs snare Pennsylvania lineman
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 24, 2006

The University of Virginia football program picked up a commitment over the weekend, adding a lineman to a recruiting class that's rapidly filling up.

With national signing day still more than three months away, U.Va. has 20 commitments for 2007. The latest is from Zane Parr, a 6-4, 285-pound senior at Williamsport Area High School in Pennsylvania.

"He's big and he's agile," Millionaires coach Tim Thompson said. "He's extremely quick for a big man."

Parr, 17, also had scholarship offers from Connecticut and Temple. Other schools, including Georgia Tech and Clemson, were interested, too, Thompson said. But Parr made it clear he "didn't want to go that far from home."

Temple's first-year coach, Al Golden, is a former U.Va. defensive coordinator.

"He said all good things about Virginia," Parr said.

Parr, who's also on the basketball and track-and-field teams at Williamsport, starts at offensive tackle and defensive tackle in football. He hopes to play defense at U.Va. but might end up on the offensive line.

N.C. State's Darrell Blackman, one of the nation's most explosive return men, is a former Williamsport High star.

NOTE: U.Va.'s Nov. 4 game against ACC rival Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla., will start at noon. It will be televised by Lincoln Financial Sports/Raycom.

Virginia (2-2, 3-5) hosts N.C. State (2-2, 3-4) at noon Saturday. Lincoln/Raycom will televise that game, too.

 

Covington playing the waiting game
Sophomore WR trying to work his way onto the Cavs' first team
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 24, 2006

The stats are far from impressive.

Through eight games, Virginia sophomore Maurice Covington has just one reception for 10 yards.

Sure, like any receiver, he wants the ball in his hands more, but with Fontel Mines one spot ahead of him at the “Z” position on the depth chart, Covington is remaining positive and patient.

Besides, Covington knows the wide receiving corps includes Mines and Deyon Williams, both fourth-year players, who are quickly running out of eligibility.

“I understand the situation,” Covington said after Virginia’s 23-0 win over North Carolina. “I understand that there are seniors playing in front of me. They are pretty good players. I have just been working hard in practice every day and trying to make sure I get better. I am just waiting on my chance.”

The waiting game is not an easy one, especially when you get thrust into action for your debut against Florida State.

That was last year. Covington watched a potential redshirt season disappear when he made one catch for 15 yards in the thrilling upset over the Seminoles.

Did the three-star recruit want to redshirt? Not a chance.

“It was experience,” Covington said, “and experience is always good.”

The bumps in the road - Covington did not play in Virginia’s final two games last year - were tough on him. Mentally? Yes. Emotionally? Of course.

“At first it was kind of hard because I was down, but I just realized I had to keep picking myself up, work hard, play hard … and hopefully, one day my chance will come and I can get out there and show everybody what I can do.”

That’s exactly what wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, also a sophomore, has done this season.

The wideout leads UVa with 36 catches, 425 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Ogletree admits that “the luck of the draw” chipped in for some of those numbers.

In preseason, it was discovered that Williams had a stress fracture in his right foot and he was forced to miss the first four games of the season after undergoing surgery.

“He was one broken foot away from playing 60 snaps a game,” Ogletree said of Covington. “I am sure if he was in that situation, he would be having just as much success as I am.”

That’s not something Covington wants to think about.

“Sure, I am a broken foot away,” Covington said, “but I’m not wishing any harm on anybody.”

He would rather earn his time the right way in drills with the first-team offense. It may just turn out to be that continued success in practice that lands Covington more playing time sooner rather than later.

Covington, who played at Southern Durham (N.C.) High with fellow Cavalier Brandon Woods, has impressed the coaching staff in practice recently.

And he is not alone. A number of players from the incoming class of 2005, including redshirt freshman quarterback Jameel Sewell, have garnered attention and added playing time.

“He’s kind of like a lot of other guys, whether it was Jameel [Sewell] working his way into it, or [Mikell] Simpson or [Kevin] Crawford getting into the game a little bit more,” said UVa head coach Al Groh. “Each one of them progresses at his own rate … some of them have been faster than others. As they begin to make that step forward, we are looking to get them a little bit more action.

“Vic [Hall] got quite a bit [against UNC] and did a real good job. Maurice has now warranted that by his practice performance.”

Ogletree has witnessed it as well.

“[Maurice] is a great player and he has all the physical attributes to be a great wide receiver, and everyone is looking forward to it,” Ogletree said.

“It’s kind of unfortunate for him now because Fontel plays a dominant amount of the snaps, but he gets the job done in practice.”

With wideouts Andrew Pearman, Emmanuel Byers and a host of tight ends back next year alongside Ogletree and Covington, the future looks bright for the passing game.

“It’s going to be pretty dynamic,” Ogletree said.

 

Cavaliers want to continue climb up ACC ladder
New home, deeper roster has team excited
By Hubert F. Grim III/staff
hgrimiii@newsleader.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE — New digs and a deeper roster are the two key components the Virginia Cavaliers are hoping to blend into success for the 2006-07 men’s basketball season.

The Cavaliers have left University Hall in mothballs, moving across the road to the state-of-the-art John Paul Jones Arena. Virginia’s first new home since 1965 has been drawing rave reviews for all its modern bells and whistles.

But to fill the 15,219 seats on a regular basis, the Cavaliers need to put a product on the floor to draw fans.

Head coach Dave Leitao began laying the foundation in his first year, and the Cavaliers had a respectable 15-15 season that culminated with a first-round, NIT loss at Stanford.

The break-even season was far better than anyone predicted with a roster devoid of dominant inside play and a general overall lack of depth and talent that had ushered out the Pete Gillen era.

The Cavaliers finished in a seventh-place tie in the ACC with a 7-9 record after being picked to finish dead last in the preseason by media. Despite playing with only eight scholarship players, Leitao milked three more conference wins than in Gillen’s final year.

Leitao brought a no-nonsense, in-your-face approach, which was badly needed in a program that had become dysfunctional under Gillen.

Leitao’s emphasis on defense could be seen in the stats. The Cavaliers improved in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense and rebound margin.

Year 2 of Leitao has seen an influx of five freshmen who will provide much-needed depth and strength.

“At least we’ll look better in the airport, if that means anything,” Leitao joked during media day in the new arena.

All joking aside, the freshmen, all 6-foot-5 or better and weighing more than 200 pounds, allows the Cavaliers to be far more competitive. When Leitao looks down the bench, there will actually be scholarship bodies there for him to sub.

“We were very limited last year,” Leitao said. “We didn’t have many options with a six- or seven-man rotation. But never once was playing time an issue.”

The playing time issue many well change this season with 13 scholarship players on the roster.

Leitao hopes the year’s experience with his system and the added depth from the freshmen will change Virginia’s road fortunes. The Cavaliers won only twice last season on the road.

There should be no problems with the backcourt, where Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds make up one of best duos in the ACC and, as the season unfolds, in the country.

“I have a high level of trust in their decision-making abilities and the ability to make things happen,” Leitao said. “They play off each other. I want to see them become the best backcourt in the ACC, which makes them one of the best in the country.”

Singletary led the Cavaliers in scoring last season at 17.7, fifth-best in the ACC, while Reynolds was just behind his teammate at 17.4. Singletary was Virginia’s first first-team All-ACC selection since Bryant Stith in 1992. Reynolds was a third-team choice.

“I have high goals with more bodies and talent,” Singletary said. “I expect nothing less than a NCAA trip.”

One potential backcourt problem could be at backup point guard, which was left vacant by the departure of T.J. Bannister. Reynolds could move over to spell Singletary. Even frontcourt starter Adrian Joseph said he’s been doing a little point work in the offseason.

“Point guard is my natural position,” Reynolds said. “That’s where I played in high school. I love it.”

Reynolds played a lot of point guard during a seven-game trip to the Bahamas in the spring with a collegiate touring team.

Like last season, Leitao said sophomore Mamadi Diane will move from the wing to guard, while freshmen Solomon Tat and Will Harris can fill in.

The frontcourt is where the Cavaliers have undergone the biggest change with the incoming freshmen.

“We lacked inside scoring and a physical presence last year,” Leitao said. “We weren’t as feared a group as we needed to be inside. Every ACC team had a guy that demanded a double-team except us.”

The biggest surprise in the frontcourt last season was Jason Cain, who had languished on the bench for two years under Gillen. Given the chance to play, Cain led the team in rebounding (7.6) and had a team-high 87 offensive rebounds.

“That was a long first two years here, so really I’m cramming four into two,” Cain said.
Like all the inside players, Cain worked hard in the offseason to build up his bulk and strength.

“I felt like a pinball a lot of times,” he said. “There’s a big emphasis here to add weight (210 to 226 pounds). I’m stronger so I can finish plays.”

Laurynas Mikalauskas packed on 15 pounds to 255 and took yoga to improve his flexibility, while Joseph went from 195 to 205.

To a man, all the veterans are ecstatic over the freshman class.

“They have the most talent and maturity of any class since I’ve been here,” Singletary said.

Added Cain: “The freshmen are so focused. When I got here, it was more about fun, not with these guys.”

Leitao wants to play more up-tempo this year, which he couldn’t do last season with the limited bench.

“To play the up-tempo, we need fresh bodies,” Cain said. “By the end of last season, we just ran out of gas, especially at Stanford. I don’t see that happening with this group.”

The bodies Virginia added have size and bulk with Andy Burns (6-8, 202), Will Harris (6-6, 230), Jerome Meyinsse (6-8, 230), Jamil Tucker (6-8, 230) and Tat (6-5, 220).
Leitao said Meyinsse has the longest distance to travel of the five freshmen, while Tat is a “specimen that pound-for-pound is the best I’ve seen in maybe forever.”

“There’s room for optimism with everybody back and the freshmen,” Leitao said. “We want to get better on the offensive end. A lot of emphasis was placed on offense in the offseason.

“We are a work in progress. Last season helped build mental toughness. We are better off now than at this time last year,” he said.

Leitao said it is an exciting time for Virginia basketball with the new arena.  “The responsibility I have is to win, which will fill the seats,” he said. “We are headed in that direction."

 

Noon starts slow Pack
State, 0-3 in early kickoffs, plagued by first-quarter woes
Chip Alexander, Staff Writer

N.C. State receiver John Dunlap was the first to mention it, a slight look of puzzlement on his face Saturday after the Pack's 26-20 loss at Maryland.
"We have to get off to a faster start," the junior said.

The Wolfpack has played three games this season with kickoffs a few minutes after noon. State is 0-3 in those games -- against Akron, Wake Forest and Maryland -- and has another noon start Saturday at Virginia.

In every game since the opener against Appalachian State, the Pack has fallen behind. Southern Miss scored 10 points on its first two possessions. Boston College scored a touchdown the first time it touched the ball, Florida State scored a field goal to start the game, and Wake a TD after getting the opening kickoff.

Maryland punted on its first two possessions, then scored two field goals for a 6-0 halftime lead. State's first-half possessions: punt, punt, punt, punt.

"I feel like coming out in the first quarter, we might not have been as excited as we have been," tight end Anthony Hill said Monday.

Something about a noon start?

"I'm really not sure," Hill said. "I feel like I was up for the game. I just feel as a team, as a whole, I think all of us weren't up for the game as much as we could have been or should have been."

Noon games call for early wakeups and breakfast for a team meal. Home or away, crowds sometimes can be somnambulant at the start, with little noise or emotion rippling through the stadium.

Coach Chuck Amato said Monday he'd prefer a much later starting time for Saturday's game.

"I would love to," he said, smiling. "I would absolutely love to move it ... to between 7:30 and 8 o'clock. In Carter-Finley Stadium."

State did beat BC and FSU in night games at home. Under the lights at home, State is 3-0, and next week's home game against Georgia Tech has a 7 p.m. start.

Amato did try to prepare State for the Wake game with a test run during the school's fall break.

"We actually got them up -- they were upset -- and made them come [to the Murphy Center] and have pregame breakfast at 8 o'clock," he said. "We practiced at noon and tried to make everything in between like it would be [for the game]. We've tried everything. But again, I don't know that either team woke up the other day before the second half."

Maryland pushed the lead to 20-0 in the second half before State finally got its offense moving. The Pack had 43 total yards in the first quarter, 21 on Andre Brown's run on State's first play.

A common thread in State's four losses has been first-quarter offensive woes. The Pack had 23 first-quarter yards against Akron, 29 at USM and 41 against Wake. The Pack had 38 yards against Florida State but did win 24-20 with a strong second-half surge.

"It seems like we are starting real slow in the first half," sophomore tailback Toney Baker said. "We need to get that corrected."

That and the turnovers, penalties and other mistakes. The Pack is 114th in Division I-A in turnover margin.

Forget the starting time. State (3-4, 2-2 ACC) must find something to get it up to speed quickly. It would tumble out of contention in the Atlantic Division with a loss to Virginia (3-5, 2-2).

"It'll be like the playoffs: whoever wins this game advances on," defensive tackle Tank Tyler said.

And should the Pack take an early lead Saturday?

"I don't know what it would be like to realize in the first quarter that we're winning," Amato joked. "You know what, maybe then our kids would get complacent."

It's also something Amato probably would be willing to try.