Groh: Pass on the hype
With Cavs on four-game win streak, coach wants team to stay on even keel
Monday, Oct 27, 2008 - 12:06 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

ATLANTA -- When critics were blasting the University of Virginia football team, Al Groh didn't want his players to listen.

And now that people are praising the Cavaliers? U.Va.'s eighth-year coach wants his charges to tune that out, too.

Virginia, quickly becoming one of college football's better stories this season, has gone from last to first in the ACC's Coastal Division in less than a month.

U.Va. (3-1, 5-3) extended its winning streak to four games by rallying to beat then-No. 21 Georgia Tech 24-17 two days ago at Bobby Dowd Stadium. Next up for Virginia is another crucial Coastal game, this one against Miami (2-2, 5-3) at Scott Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

"We're just trying to figure out where we're going to get the next win," Groh said when asked about his team's position atop the Coastal.

"We've got a very tough opponent, one of the name teams in college football, coming in here next week, and obviously every week it shows that it takes everything we got to step up there. So as long as we don't get full of ourselves and listen to anybody else who's trying to look long range, and just focus on the game, we'll have our best chance."

U.Va. went to overtime to beat then-No. 18 North Carolina on Oct. 18. Virginia fans sweated out another tense finish Saturday.

The score was 24-17 when cornerback Chase Minnifield broke up a long pass by Yellow Jackets quarterback Josh Nesbitt with 1:43 left. That brought up fourth and 11 for Georgia Tech from its 40, but then head linesman Elmo Gray penalized Groh for sideline interference, a 5-yard infraction.

Groh told reporters that he'd been shouting at sophomore cornerback Ras-I Dowling to shadow Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech's top wideout. Dowling, however, was "looking at me like he's hypnotized," Groh said. "Everybody on the team is telling him to look at me, and he's standing there. So I guess the official thought that it was an important thing to do at that point of the game to make his presence known."

Virginia survived the call. Two plays later, junior cornerback Vic Hall broke perfectly and intercepted a Nesbitt pass,, and the Cavaliers could celebrate their first road victory over a ranked opponent since 2001.

"He's just been the greatest kid throughout all of his career," Groh said of Hall. "He's had those people poking at him, like, 'How come you're not playing quarterback?' and this and that, and we knew how valuable he was [at cornerback]. . . . And clearly we got a pretty decent quarterback out there right now, so all the pieces seem to be properly placed, and they're doing a great job with their jobs."

Indeed, Verica fought through some rough moments -- he had three turnovers -- to finish 29 of 39 passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns in his sixth start.

"It wasn't just me," said Verica, a redshirt sophomore. "It just shows the kind of resolve and leadership that this team has."

Injuries have battered coordinator Bob Pruett's defense over the past month. On Oct. 27, Virginia lost its best linebacker (Clint Sintim) and best defensive back (Dowling) to cramps for more than a quarter, a stretch in which Duke blew the game open. Against UNC, U.Va. lost Dowling and Antonio Appleby, a three-year starter at inside linebacker, to first-quarter injuries, and neither returned. Against Georgia Tech, Virginia played without Appleby and its No. 1 nose tackle, redshirt freshman Nick Jenkins.

Virginia left Bobby Dodd Stadium without any new injuries of significance, however, and Groh said he hopes to have Appleby and Jenkins back for the Miami game.

 

Fire Groh? funny how that rhymes with eat crow
Posted to: Bob Molinaro Sports
Bob Molinaro
Virginian-Pilot columnist
Read Articles

On September 23, a wise and prescient scribbler with the same initials as mine wrote of the Virginia football team: “It may not be far-fetched to imagine the Cavaliers finishing 1-11.”

At the time, the scribbler seemed to be on to something. Written before U.Va.’s 28-point loss at Duke, the words reflected the widespread panic in ’Hooville that Al Groh’s world was falling apart faster than a “Saturday Night Live” routine.

After the loss to Duke, a rash of newspaper stories and Internet items appeared under the generic headline: “It’s time for Groh to go.”

The beleaguered Groh’s name was prominent on Web sites dedicated to coaches on the hot seat; he was near the top of the list, squeezed in between Syracuse’s Greg Robinson and Washington’s Tyrone Willingham.

Groh may also have been included on Mr. Blackwell’s list of worst dressed coaches. Things were going that badly.

At the time, after all, U.Va. was 119th in the country in scoring and its defense was leaking oil.

Now here it is the last week of October, and everything has changed. For the moment, the hordes have put down their torches and pitchforks – grudgingly in some cases.

A four-game winning streak, capped by an unexpected, somewhat stunning victory over Georgia Tech on the road has mollified the base. After the debacle at Duke, nobody could have guessed that the same team that started 1-3 would rise to 5-3 and first place in the ACC’s Coastal Division.

But, of course, this isn’t the same U.Va. team. Some of us failed to recognize that a long season leaves room for improvement.

“Probably not ready to play,” the scribbler prophetically wrote of Marc Verica, the team’s fourth-string quarterback last year who was pressed into service when Peter Lalich was thrown off the team.

Verica’s learning curve has been every bit as steep as the Cavaliers’ ascent. Against Georgia Tech, he passed for 270 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It’s the fourth game in a row he’s gone for 200 or more through the air. Lately, he’s looked ready.

Verica was a deer in the headlights when U.Va. struggled; Cedric Peerman, who rushed for 118 yards Saturday, needed time to recover from injury. As the offense came around, so did the defense.

Yet it’s unlikely that every U.Va. fan is in a giddy mood right now. The most cynical Groh critics hoped that a disastrous season would grease the skids. But Al, it appears, isn’t going anywhere. Saturday, U.Va. even exploded a bedrock criticism of Groh teams – that they come up very small on the road.

With this latest victory, the Cavaliers are the best story in the ACC. Not the best team; they aren’t even assured a bowl berth. But leading up to Saturday’s visit from Miami, U.Va. is a major topic of conversation.

Showing the clip of Peerman diving into the end zone for the winning score in Atlanta, ESPN’s college studio crew marveled at U.Va.’s turnaround.

“Al Groh’s best coaching job at U.Va.,” said Lou Holtz.

A comment like that must set Groh’s critics’ teeth on edge. It’s not as if his detractors don’t have legitimate complaints. They can point to the loss of key players this year for academic and disciplinary reasons. They can grouse that U.Va. plays in only small bowls and that Groh has beaten Virginia Tech only once since he arrived.

What they can’t do is separate Groh from this winning streak, the biggest story in the ACC so far. Groh is the central figure of U.Va.’s far-fetched scenario because he didn’t let the team or the season get away from him.

In September, the scribbler dismissed U.Va., writing, “Duke may be the last winnable game” on the schedule.

Frequently wrong, seldom uncertain – that’s my motto.

 

No love for Verica
Sister networks ESPN and ABC have more resources than the federal government. Hell, they could have financed the Wall Street rescue package.

Which makes it all the more maddening when week after week ESPN college football drones Rece Davis, Mark May and Lou Holtz mispronounce the last name of Virginia quarterback Marc Verica.

It’s VER-i-ka. Not Va-REEK-a.

Checking names is what interns are supposed to do. Or failing that, how about taking the time to read Virginia’s weekly media notes. They contain phonetic spellings of unusual names.

Verica made ESPN’s late-night highlights show again Saturday as he threw for 270 yards and two scores in the Cavaliers’ 24-17 upset at No. 21 Georgia Tech. Operating behind fortress-like protection, Verica was at his best during the second half, completing 10 of 11 passes for 108 yards and a 34-yard touchdown to Maurice Covington.

After the game, Virginia coach Al Groh said Verica continues to display the calm “temperament” required at quarterback. Not bad for a sophomore who last season was fourth string.

Verica’s performance to date raises two interesting questions:

In an uninspired season for ACC quarterbacks, who is the first-team, all-conference quarterback? Florida State’s Christian Ponder? Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner? Maryland’s Chris Turner? Verica? At this point, he’s in the conversation.

Perhaps most intriguing, what happens at quarterback next season for Virginia when Jameel Sewell, last year’s starter, returns from an academic suspension? Would Sewell be happy as a back-up? Could be challenge Verica for the job? What about another position?

And finally, do ESPN's chattering heads know how to pronounce Sewell?

Posted by David Teel
 

Numbers speak louder than words
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Monday, October 27 2008

Virginia is now in first place in the Coastal Division.

“Wow, didn’t know that,” senior outside linebacker Clint Sintim said. “Not too bad for a team that was picked to finish ... second to last [in the ACC ahead of] Duke.”

No, Clint, it’s not too bad. Nobody thought Virginia would be in this position in July — and that was before Peter Lalich got thrown off the team. SportsCenter called sophomore quarterback Marc Verica Marc Ver-eec-a two weeks ago and then simply avoided using his name in the highlights of Virginia’s 24-17 win against No. 21 Georgia Tech.

I hope ESPN looks up the correct pronunciation for next week, because Verica is making a name for himself and the name is not that hard to articulate. Following his picturesque two-minute drill a week ago that kept Virginia alive in the eventual overtime win against then-No. 18 North Carolina, Verica threw for a career-high 270 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the team’s first win on the road against the Yellow Jackets.

This from a guy who was on the scout team six months ago.

There are more simply dumbfounding numbers from this game that shed light on Virginia’s absurd turnaround better than anything I can say.

Put it this way: if I had told you earlier that in week nine, Virginia would have one loss in the ACC to Duke by 28 points and two wins against top-25 teams, how would you have reacted?

That’s not all I’ve got. Here are some more numbers that will make you, like me, feel ashamed that you ever hopped off the Cavalier bandwagon.

1. Road rebirth. Starting with the obvious, the win at Georgia Tech was Virginia’s first win on the road this season; this coming after the “Cardiac” Cavs went into cardiac arrest in two previous games on the road, losing at UConn and Duke by a combined 63 points.

Then the stats get even more obscene. This was Virginia’s first win against a ranked opponent on the road since Sept. 22, 2001, when it downed No. 19 Clemson. It was also the first time the Cavs won back-to-back games against ranked opponents since 2002, when they beat then-No. 22 N.C. State and then-No. 18 Maryland in back-to-back weeks.

Now, onto the individual numbers.

2. Can Sintim sack Long? With 1.5 sacks Saturday, Sintim now has 9.5 through eight games. Extrapolate that out to a 13-game season — Virginia needs just one more win to assure a 13th game — and he ends the year with 15.5 sacks. That’s 1.5 more than Chris somebody — you know, the one who now starts for the St. Louis Rams — had last year.

Even before the start of training camp, Sintim said it would be great if he got double-digit sacks. With reaching that goal now a virtual certainty, I asked him how he feels about 14.

“It’d be great to have 14,” he said.

How about 15?

“Fifteen would be even better, because Chris had 14 last year.”

I didn’t get to asking him about 15.5, but I can imagine he wouldn’t have objected to that either.

3. Peerman pounding. More of the obvious: in four games since getting healthy, senior running back Cedric Peerman has been ridiculous.

“There’s nothing that I could say about Cedric that would do him justice to anybody who saw it with their own eyes,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “His play, as much as everybody that probably you’ve ever seen, just speaks for itself.”

I couldn’t agree more — stats don’t give him his due. Senior offensive tackle Eugene Monroe has described Peerman’s impact with opposing defensive players as sounding like “a car crash” — the only difference is that following the collision, Peerman somehow stays on his feet and gains another 4 yards.

Nevertheless, it’s worth mentioning Peerman’s numbers. Since returning from injury at the start of Virginia’s winning streak against Maryland, Peerman has averaged 111.3 rushing yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry while rushing for 6 touchdowns. He has also hauled in 23 catches for 122 yards.

Of course, Peerman missed much of the first four games with a leg injury, so his numbers at the end of the year won’t seem terrific to the passive fan. Let’s just pretend, though, that these were the first four games of a 13-game season. Again extrapolating, Peerman ends the year with 1446.25 rushing yards, 19.5 rushing touchdowns, and 74.75 catches.

In case you didn’t know, Peerman was ordained as a minister not too long ago.

Would the Almighty mind explaining this?

 

Turnovers and big plays: It’s that simple
Ernie Washington, Cavalier Daily Gameday Editor
Published: Monday, October 27 2008

From the time I started playing football at age 9 until my senior year in high school, all my coaches preached turnovers and big plays as the keys to winning the game. That statement often caused me to roll my eyes.

After witnessing what occurred at Bobby Dodd Stadium Saturday, though I finally see what my coaches were referring to: Without Georgia Tech turning the ball over at crucial spots on the field and without Virginia making key plays when necessary in the second half, the Cavaliers wouldn’t have left Atlanta with complete control of their destiny for a Coastal Division title.

Georgia Tech’s first critical turnover occurred on the Yellow Jackets’ first drive of the third quarter when quarterback Josh Nesbitt failed to execute the most elementary aspect of quarterback play: the center-quarterback exchange.

“I really don’t know what else you do,” a frustrated Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said after the game. “At this level, you’d like to think you could get the center-to-quarterback exchange.”

No kidding, Coach Johnson. What really hurt about that turnover was that it occurred in Virginia territory right when the Yellow Jackets were driving down the field. There would be a costlier turnover later in the third quarter, however, when Nesbitt fumbled a handoff with sophomore B-Back Jonathan Dwyer to the Virginia 7-yard line, right when the Yellow Jackets could have taken a 21-17 lead. One of the biggest negatives of the option offense is that it can often lead to lots of fumbles because of the necessity to ride out fakes, which can lead to messed up exchanges between the quarterback and running back. That’s exactly what occurred.

“[Nesbitt] didn’t get off of [Dwyer] in time,” Johnson said. “It’s disappointing when that happens.”

The icing on the cake for the Yellow Jackets was when Nesbitt — once again in Virginia territory — threw an interception to Cavalier cornerback Vic Hall with 1:18 left in the game, which left almost all of the 47,416 in attendance befuddled that Georgia Tech let a possible victory slip away.

“I was just trying to get to my receiver,” Nesbitt said. “[Hall] made a great play on the ball.”

As much as Georgia Tech did to shoot itself in the foot, let’s not forget about the major plays Virginia made in this game. Obviously the Hall interception was big — it clinched the game — but give nose tackle Nate Collins and linebacker Denzell Burell credit for pouncing on the two Nesbitt fumbles. Cornerbacks Ras-I Dowling and Chase Minnifield also made critical plays on Georgia Tech’s last drive. Each cornerback broke up deep passes that seemed as if they were going to be caught by Georgia Tech receivers, allowing the Jackets to break the Cavaliers’ hearts just as the Cavaliers did to North Carolina on their final drive last week.

“The defensive kids were just so tough-minded and determined,” Groh said. “They were able to handle a lot of adjustments once we got a fix on things.”

The offense also deserves props for making critical plays when necessary. Wide receiver Maurice Covington almost dropped a sure 34-yard touchdown pass, but he was able to hold on to give Virginia a 17-14 lead in the third quarter. Peerman’s effort all game was extraordinary, but his 8-yard run on third-and-8 at the Georgia Tech 11 took a lot of heart and Peerman, like usual, came through and stretched the ball out for a first down. Peerman then followed that play up with the go-ahead touchdown run.

“Cedric just stepped up himself,” Groh said about Peerman’s run on third-and-8. “He said, ‘I’m getting this thing down there for the first down.’”

Most of all, the offensive line was superb. It opened up holes for Peerman all day and gave Verica — who settled down after two first-half interceptions and had another solid game — ample time to make plays.

“Those kids did a great job,” Groh said when describing the play of the linemen. “For us to be able to operate like that in the pocket and give up one sack during the course of the day was big.”

At the end of day, Virginia made plays when it absolutely had to, and Georgia Tech turned the ball over when it absolutely couldn’t. Now the Cavaliers are one game away from qualifying for a bowl game. Who knew the old words of my coaches had so much meaning.

 

Next up for Virginia: Miami
By Jay Jenkins
Published: October 26, 2008

Moments after knocking of its first ranked opponent on the road in seven years, Virginia’s players screamed out a message that billowed outside the visiting locker room at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium.
“Beat Miami,” the youngsters yelled in unison.
As they have done over the course of their current four-game winning streak, the Cavaliers (5-3, 3-1 ACC) have promptly shifted their focus from one opponent to the next in rapid fashion.
What Virginia accomplished against Georgia Tech in Atlanta during its 24-17 win, albeit remarkable as the team secured first place in the ACC’s Coastal Division, was merely history.
“We know what we can do, but we are just taking this one game at a time,” said Virginia’s leading running back Cedric Peerman. “This is a tough league, a tough division and all you can do is come out each week and play your best because that’s what the other team will do.”
Never too high or never too low, it did not seem to matter to the Cavaliers that they churned out 396 yards of total offense, dominated time of possession against one the league’s vaunted defenses or held Georgia Tech’s complex triple option to just 156 rushing yards.
“We have to keep working,” said Virginia wideout Maurice Covington, who hauled a touchdown pass in the second half against the Yellow Jackets. “There are no gimmes from here on out. We have to keep pushing and take it one game at a time and play our best.
“You never know who is going to win any week in the ACC. Every team is so even.”
Miami, an early 1-point favorite over Virginia, is riding an emotional high.
The Hurricanes (5-3, 2-2) outlasted Wake Forest this weekend, 16-10, at home after allowing Wake Forest its only touchdown on the opening drive.
Given how far Virginia has come in the month that followed an embarrassing 31-3 loss at Duke, the fact that the Cavaliers are considered an underdog at Scott Stadium seems odd on the surface.
The Cavaliers, who received votes in both national polls this week, have improved in every facet during the winning streak and have climbed to No. 97 in total offense and No. 46 in total defense.
Yet they remain hungry for more.
“I think this team has always been resilient and known what we could be,” Peerman said, “but right now we are a long way off from where we need to be.”
Virginia wideout Kevin Ogletree added: “Winning is contagious.
“It makes guys want it more. You see the older guys stepping up and the younger guys coming closer to greatness with their game. It is just a great team effort right now.”
Georgia Tech was not in a similar situation. The Yellow Jackets questioned calls, pondered the outcomes of instant replays and cited injuries following the loss to Virginia.
On one play in particular, Covington’s 34-yard touchdown reception, Virginia right tackle Will Barker appeared to hold off defensive end Michael Johnson by bringing his arm near the defender’s neck.
“I feel that’s one you have to call,” Johnson told reporters. “The rules say that should definitely be a penalty. They go on to throw a touchdown pass, and I’m looking for the flag. But there was none to be found.”

Cavs hot, Hokies cold, Terps tepid: Who's cool in cooker?
October 27, 2008 12:36 am

VIRGINIA is like a once-under- performing stock that could be had for cheap a month ago and is paying dividends. Virginia Tech is like a solid blue-chipper that has suddenly dropped in value.

And Maryland? The Terps are an IPO that no one can predict--up one week, shaky the next.

If you can figure out the financial market, want to take a stab at the Atlantic Coast Conference football race?

A month ago, no one--inside or outside Charlottesville--would have predicted the Cavaliers would stand alone atop the Coastal Division standings. But there they are at 3-1 after impressive wins over ranked foes North Carolina and Georgia Tech on consecutive weekends.

As October dawned, even die-hard Virginia fans thought Al Groh might be looking for work soon. Instead, he's aiming for his alma mater's first outright ACC title--and may be the front-runner for an improbable second-straight coach of the year award.

In Blacksburg, optimism is harder to find than a healthy quarterback. The Hokies still control their destiny, but after starter Tyrod Taylor and backup Sean Glennon were both injured in Saturday's loss at Florida State, an already struggling offense certainly doesn't look championship-caliber.

And in College Park, the Terrapins keep winning unimpressively. Considering the quality of their final four foes, though, every victory will count.

We'll start with the Cavaliers (5-3, 3-1), who have come light-years from their wretched 1-3 start. Saturday's 24-17 win at No. 21 Georgia Tech was Virginia's first road win over a ranked ACC opponent since Groh's third game as coach, at Clemson in 2001.

What has made the difference?

The health of three key players--linebacker Clint Sintim, cornerback Ras-I Dowling and running back Cedric Peerman--has been crucial. Each missed all or most of Virginia's 31-3 loss at Duke one month ago today--the season's nadir.

All are sound now. Sintim (9 sacks) is playing like an All-American, and Dowling and Peerman are making cases for all-ACC recognition.

Mostly, though, Groh and his staff needed time to mold a young team that suffered massive unexpected personnel losses. Once the cloud of Peter Lalich's legal issues was resolved, the Cavaliers moved on with former third-stringer Marc Verica, who played as well as any ACC quarterback in October.

The Cavaliers still must visit Wake Forest and Virginia Tech and host Miami and Clemson. But there's a confidence level that wasn't there a month ago.

The Hokies (6-2, 2-2) would love some of that swagger. But until they learn the extent of the injuries to Taylor and Glennon, they won't rest easy.

Fortunately, Tech has 10 more days before its next game--Nov. 6 at home against Maryland (6-2, 3-1) in a matchup that could dash the title hopes of the loser.

If Frank Beamer has to start QB-turned-receiver-turned-emergency-QB Cory Holt against the Terps, Tech's 112th-ranked pass offense isn't likely to improve. (Incredibly, through eight games, no Hokie wideout has caught a touchdown pass.)

Just as alarmingly, Tech's defense and special teams--two touchstones in its 15-year bowl run--have been inconsistent.

Maryland's last visit to Blacksburg, in 2004, resulted in the Terps being routed 55-6. Don't expect another one-sided game next Thursday.

That's because Maryland's defense has become solid. If the Hokies are one-dimensional, they'll have a hard time running against the Terps.

Meanwhile, Maryland seems to have rediscovered Darrius Heyward-Bey (a big receiver like the ones FSU used to beat the Hokies on Saturday), and has two good tailbacks. Freshman Davin Meggett, whose dad Dave has a Super Bowl ring, is a rising star.

The Terps don't look overly intimidating. But like last year's Cavaliers, they keep finding ways to win. Saturday's last-second 27-24 victory over N.C. State was the kind of trap game they've often lost in the past.

They still must navigate past the Hokies, North Carolina, Florida State and Boston College, but they're in control of their fate.

The ACC still could end up with its dream matchup of Florida State and Miami in the title game Dec. 6 in Tampa. But the region's three teams will have something to say about it.

Steve DeShazo: 540/374-5443




 

Cloudy forecast for two
Rebuilding U.Va. picked to finish last; Tech will be sixth, prognosticators say
Monday, Oct 27, 2008 - 12:06 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

ATLANTA Not long after he started work at the University of Virginia in 2005, men's basketball coach Dave Leitao got a lesson in ACC history from his new boss.

Athletic Director Craig Littlepage told him "there's always a team, or a couple teams, that from today to the end of the year will completely surprise the rest of the league," Leitao recalled yesterday. "He said it's been that way forever. It was us two years ago, it was Virginia Tech last year, it was Miami last year. There's going to be that team."

Leitao has to hope that team is again his, because expectations for the Cavaliers couldn't be lower as they embark on the post-Sean Singletary era.

At ACC Operation Basketball, the league's media day, 40 ballots were cast yesterday for the 2008-09 preseason poll. Virginia will finish last, prognosticators fairly screamed, and the voting wasn't close. Nor was it unexpected.

U.Va. lost its point guard, Singletary, a three-time all-ACC first-team pick. The Wahoos have only two seniors, and one of their best guards -- junior Calvin Baker -- may miss the season with a stress fracture in his left foot.

The poor public perception of U.Va. hoops "acts as motivation," senior swingman Mamadi Diane said, "and also tells us we have no room for errors or slacking off, especially this year, being that we're so young."

The outlook for Virginia Tech is brighter. The Hokies, who return virtually every key player from a team that nearly made the NCAA tournament, were picked to finish sixth in the ACC, and they outpointed No. 7 Maryland by a substantial margin.

Of course, the media is famous -- or infamous -- for getting these things wrong. A year ago, Miami was picked to finish last in the ACC. The Hurricanes made the NCAAs. Virginia Tech, picked to place 10th, finished fourth.

Nonetheless, Hokies swingman A.D. Vassallo would rather deal with high expectations.

"I think everybody's up to the challenge," Vassallo said, "and I think that's the excitement that we've all got. We know we're good, and everybody's going to come at us."

Virginia Tech lost only one starter from 2007-08: high-flying forward Deron Washington. This is still a young team -- the Hokies' scholarship players include six sophomores -- but its talent is undeniable.

"Potentially, we can play with anyone," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "We don't have McDonald's All-Americans, but we've got good players. We have a chance if we really embrace who we are. We've got to have a chip [on the shoulder]."

Picked to finish 11th in the league was Boston College, whose best player is senior point guard Tyrese Rice, a former L.C. Bird High star. Rice averaged 21 points and 5 assists last season and made the all-ACC first team, but BC went 14-17 overall and tied for 11th in the league.

In Rice's first two seasons, the Eagles totaled 49 victories and twice advanced to the NCAA tournament. He's determined to prove last season was an aberration for BC.

Individual honors, Rice said, are "for my family. That's not stuff that makes me happy. Of course it's great to be mentioned in the same breath as Chris Paul and all those guys when you're first-team all-ACC, but those are things that your family is more proud of. When you're winning 25 to 28 games in a year and you're making a run at the Sweet 16, that's what makes you feel better as a person."

 

Poll has Cavs, Tech chasing big fish
David Teel
October 27, 2008
ATLANTA

Be the handicapping elementary or advanced, the places of Virginia and Virginia Tech in this season's ACC basketball food chain seem clear.

The Cavaliers are plankton, defenseless and short-lived. The Hokies are piscivores, vulnerable to big-fish predators but more than capable of handling themselves against most.

Media — the lowest form of life? — attending the conference's annual preseason gabfest Sunday concurred. They picked Virginia last, by a wide margin, and Virginia Tech solidly in the middle at sixth.

The good news for the Hokies is they've bettered preseason forecasts in four of coach Seth Greenberg's five years. The good news for the Cavaliers is that last year's 12th-place pick, Miami, tied for fifth and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

So much for our handicapping skills.

But even before the ballots were tallied, Virginia senior guard Mamadi Diane was resigned to the results.

"It's not like it's surprising," he said. "We just know in the back of our heads that's what's expected of us."

Indeed, the Cavaliers face myriad hurdles, including an ACC in which nine teams return at least one all-conference player. Then consider that from last season's 10th-place squad, Virginia loses the graduated Sean Singletary, merely the fifth-leading scorer in program history.

Moreover, the Cavaliers' most energetic inside presence, Laurynas Mikalauskas, was dismissed from the team during the offseason, while projected point guard Calvin Baker of Newport News is shelved indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left foot.

"My whole focus is on him emotionally," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said of Baker. "If it's going to cost him a whole year, how to manage that."

Leitao is unsure whether Baker will need surgery. There's a chance Baker could return sooner rather than later, but Leitao sounded pessimistic.

"Unfortunately ... the hot spot is a place where you don't get much blood supply," he said, "and that makes the healing process slow."

Absent Baker, a junior transfer from William and Mary, Leitao is left with two freshmen at the point: Sammy Zeglinski played eight games as a reserve last year before sustaining an ankle injury and receiving a medical hardship; Sylven Landesberg, a McDonald's All-American last season, is more comfortable playing the wing.

Tally it up and you have a team that is without four its top five scorers from 2007-08, not to mention its leading rebounder and two best passers.

"We've got to create our own expectations," Leitao said. "The most important ingredient to the whole thing is, and I don't know this yet, is what's in their minds and what's in their souls."

Virginia was picked last three years ago, Leitao's first in Charlottesville, and finished a respectable 7-9 in the conference. A repeat this season would be impressive, but also the program's seventh losing ACC season in the last eight years.

So fluid and competitive is the conference that only two programs have finished above .500 in league play each of the last two years. North Carolina you knew, Virginia Tech maybe not.

But it's true, and a third consecutive winning ACC record should be forthcoming. Pistons draft choice Deron Washington is the only significant departure for a team that returns 81 percent of its scoring and 80 percent of its rebounding.

A.D. Vassallo, second-team all-ACC last season, and Malcolm Delaney are dependable on the perimeter, and center Jeff Allen, arguably the program's most gifted player, spent the offseason redefining his pudgy body and adjusting his occasionally disagreeable attitude.

"Potentially, we can compete with anyone," Greenberg said.

The Hokies did just that in last year's ACC tournament semifinals, losing to No. 1 North Carolina 68-66. But non-league defeats to the likes of Penn State, Old Dominion and Richmond kept Tech out of the NCAA tournament despite a 9-7 conference record.

"Those are the games that really hurt us," Delaney said. "This year we're going (to approach) the first game like it's a championship game against Carolina. We've got the talent and the coaching staff to get it done. ... If we put everything together like we should, we should be real good."

As a cautionary tale, Greenberg cites North Carolina State, picked to finish third last season. Attempting to blend a solid core of returnees with touted freshman J.J. Hickson, the Wolfpack shared last place with Boston College.

"The greater the expectations, the greater the chance of having a chemistry problem," Greenberg said, "because everybody thinks they have to do more. ... Last year has nothing to do with this year, except maybe for Carolina. They came back to win the national championship."

National semifinalists last season, the Tar Heels were a unanimous choice Sunday to win the ACC. Duke was picked second.

 

Will Cavs prove pundits wrong?
By Whitey Reid
Published: October 26, 2008

ATLANTA — Name just about any publication that puts out preseason basketball predictions and there’s a good chance Dave Leitao used to read it during his days as an assistant coach.
But not anymore.
“I pay zero attention to that,” said the Virginia coach recently, “and I can prove that I’m right.
“In the three years that whoever’s responsible for predicting — they’re 0 for 3. And so the likelihood of them being 0 for 4 is very strong.”
Leitao sure hopes so.
At ACC Media Day on Sunday, Virginia — to nobody’s surprise — was picked to finish dead last (12th) in the conference.
“We’ve always been picked to finish near the bottom ever since I’ve been here,” said Virginia senior Mamadi Diane, the team’s lone player representative at Media Day. “It acts as motivation, but it also tells us that we have no room for errors or slacking off, especially this year since we’re so young.”
UVa, which received just 79 points, finished well behind 11th-place Boston College (123), 10th-place Florida State (145) and ninth-place N.C. State (179).
North Carolina, as expected, was the unanimous choice to finish first. The Tar Heels (480) were followed by Duke (436), Wake Forest (354), Miami (344), Clemson (306), Virginia Tech (298), Maryland (192) and Georgia Tech (186).
Really, it’s pretty easy to understand Leitao’s lack of faith in the preseason prognosticators.
In his first year at the helm, Virginia was picked to finish last and wound up finishing seventh. In 2007, UVa was picked eighth and tied for first. Last season, the Cavs were picked fifth and took 10th.
“If somebody says that we’re going to be 10th place or fourth place or fifth place, it’s going to be wrong because the most important ingredient to the whole thing is something I don’t know yet,” Leitao said, “which is what’s in [the players’] mind and in their soul.
“The same goes for the other 11 teams. I don’t know what [Miami’s] Jack McClinton is thinking. I don’t know what [UNC’s] Ty Lawson’s thinking. I don’t know how ready [they] are or not.”
The predictions by the media are based largely on how many returning starters each team has. North Carolina (with three-time All-ACC Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough) has all five back, as do several other schools.
The Cavaliers, who lost Sean Singletary, their best player, to graduation, and Lars Mikalauskas, their best low-post player, to academic problems, have three starters returning — Diane, Jeff Jones and Mike Scott.
Making the situation challenging for Leitao is the fact that junior Calvin Baker, who was the favorite to be the opening-day starter at point guard, appears to be out of action for the foreseeable future with a stress fracture in his foot.
On Sunday, Leitao said Baker’s status is still uncertain, although he conceded Baker could miss the entire season, adding that surgery is one of many options being discussed.
“Unfortunately, the hot spot [of the fracture] is at a place where you don’t get much blood supply and that makes the healing process very slow,” Leitao said. “I don’t think anybody is that optimistic because of the area where he’s had the stress fracture.”
The status of Virginia junior Jamil Tucker isn’t any more lucid. Leitao said Tucker is attempting to strengthen the muscles in his injured shoulder. He
didn’t give any timetable for the forward’s return.
The best news to come out of Media Day was that Diane looks to be fully recovered from offseason foot surgery.
“It’s good to have gotten past that stretch where I’m not even thinking about my foot anymore,” Diane said.
Injuries have plagued Leitao’s teams in his three years, but he made sure to tell everyone on hand that he didn’t want to use them as an excuse.
Repeatedly, Leitao —when he wasn’t trying to get NFL scoring updates on his cellphone — gave the sportswriters in charge of the preseason predictions some good-natured ribbing about their lack of success.
He also made a few predictions of his own. Just like the media, he went with North Carolina at the top.
“You return your whole team and you went to the Final Four…somebody’s got to smack me and tell me I’m wrong if [North Carolina] isn’t picked to be the No. 1 team in the country,” Leitao said. “That doesn’t mean they’ll be undefeated or go back to the Final Four, but right now, today, that’s what you’ve got to say.”
Leitao picked Duke second. Interestingly, he ranked Miami and Georgia Tech fairly high.
Leitao said when he first took over at Virginia, Athletic Director Craig Littlepage gave him some words of wisdom.
“He told me there’s always a team or couple of teams that from today until the rest of the year will completely surprise the rest of the league.”
This year, Leitao will be hoping that Virginia is one of those teams.
Dunks
Tyler Hansbrough was named the conference’s preseason player of the year. …Virginia freshman Sylven Landesberg finished second in rookie of the year voting to Wake Forest’s Al-Farouq Aminu…There were two major rule changes that were announced at Media Day. The first pertains to the goaltending rule. Previously, a player could block a shot after it hit the backboard, so long as it was on its way up and clearly above the cylinder. That is no longer the case. Now, once the ball is released, touches the backboard and is above the cylinder, nobody is allowed to touch it. The other change was the distance of the 3-point line, which was moved back a foot to 20 feet, 9 inches.