Newcomer Jones paces Cavs in win
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
November 19, 2007

TUCSON, Ariz. – There were some pretty upset basketball fans in College Park last year when Jeff Jones decommitted from Maryland and signed with Virginia.

On Saturday night it was easy to understand their angst.

Jones showed why he was the most highly-rated prospect in UVa coach Dave Leitao’s 2007 recruiting class.

The freshman from Philadelphia set the tone for Virginia’s 75-72 upset over No. 17 Arizona. The 6-foot-4 guard came out on fire in a way that was reminiscent of former UVa standout J.R. Reynolds.

Jones, who finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 3-point shooting, didn’t look anything like a first-year guy playing his first college road game in a hostile environment.

“He’s a scorer who can shoot,” Leitao said. “For your first road game in college, it’s not bad if you can make five 3s.”

Jones missed his first shot, then banged home four straight triples to give Virginia an early 18-13 lead.

Even Jones’ first miss was impressive, as he showed an awareness for the shot clock that was running down.

“I just wanted to execute in our offense and I happened to get in a rhythm,” Jones said. “Coach gives us a lot of confidence in practice. We know that if execute well through the plays and are open, we can shoot. He always says if you’re open, you can shoot.”

Virginia senior Sean Singletary, who led Virginia with 24 points, wasn’t the least bit surprised with Jones’ performance.

“Jeff’s probably going to get ACC Freshman of the Week and has a good chance to get ACC Freshman of the Year, too,” Singletary said. “I knew what he could do. I knew he had talent.”

Jones said he always envisioned this kind of coming-out party.

“Watching the guys last year [on television], I wanted to be on the court and helping them out,” he said. “I got a chance to make my dream come true.”

Diane ‘D’

One of the unsung heroes of the win was forward Mamadi Diane. The junior only scored nine points, but put the clamps on Arizona star Chase Budinger, who was just 6 of 14 from the field.

“I have to commend [Diane],” Leitao said. “He was feeling bad because he didn’t call timeout on that inbounds play at the end, but we wouldn’t have been in that position had he not guarded Budinger the way he did. He did a terrific job.”

Diane, who had 13 blocked shots all of last year, had a game-high of three against the Wildcats. At times, he seemed to frustrate Budinger.

“We talked about him in practice the last couple of days,” Diane said. “Our emphasis was to try and stop him. I tried to get to know him and their plays in practice.”

Helpin’ out

Can you remember a game in recent Virginia history when the help defense was good?

It seemed like every time a guard was beaten off the dribble, a big man came flying over to help. The net result was a number of offensive fouls by Arizona players. Ryan Pettinella and Lars Mikalauskas drew most of the charges.

“Coach Leitao has really been harping on our defensive effort and intensity for our 5-men,” Pettinella said, “and I think Lars and I really met the challenge. I think all-around it was a great defensive effort.”

Pettinella and Mikalauskas also combined for 10 rebounds.

“They set good screens and have played within themselves,” Leitao said. “I thought they did a very, very good job for us.”

Mr. Clutch

The days of Adrian Joseph missing clutch free throws appear to be over - anyone remember the Western Kentucky game two years ago?

The senior co-captain calmly drilled two free throws to put Virginia up by three with 20 seconds to play.

“That’s just part of being a senior and being around the block a little bit,” Joseph said. “I just relied on my experience from the past.”

No Scott

After an impressive performance in the win over Howard on Wednesday, freshman Mike Scott did not play against Arizona.

“He’s good,” Leitao said. “He’s going to be good, but experience won out today. That’s why Calvin [Baker] played a lot because he’s been in college basketball before.”

 

Humble pie soon for Groh critic
SI.com columnist now says U.Va. coach has done a good job
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 - 12:06 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- These are heady times for Al Groh. His University of Virginia football team is 9-2 and ranked No. 16 nationally. U.Va., picked to finish fourth in the Coastal Division, can advance to the ACC championship game by beating Virginia Tech on Saturday, and Groh is probably the front-runner for ACC coach of the year.

"He's done a heck of a coaching job this season," Stewart Mandel said by phone last night. "Whatever your opinion of the overall extent of his tenure there, there's no question he's gotten every ounce out of that team."

Remember Mandel? He's the SI.com senior writer who in July named Groh the worst coach in major-college football. Mandel wrote that Groh had "produced his share of talent in Charlottesville" but had only "a whole bunch of Christmas dinners in Charlotte and Boise" to show for it.

"Not many [U.Va. fans] were rising up in his defense at that time," Mandel said last night. "Now I'm starting to get those e-mails. Not a ton. I think Virginia fans are waiting to see if they beat Virginia Tech. Then I'll get a flood."

Rounding out Mandel's third annual bottom five were Texas A&M's Dennis Franchione at No. 2, Clemson's Tommy Bowden at No. 3, Washington State's Bill Doba at No. 4 and UCLA's Karl Dorrell at No. 5.

"As a columnist, obviously, you criticize," said Mandel, a Northwestern graduate. "There are points you praise coaches and points you criticize coaches."

You win some, you lose some. Texas A&M is 6-5, WSU is 4-7 and UCLA is 5-5. Bowden's Tigers are 8-3, but by falling at home Saturday to Boston College, they cost themselves a spot in the ACC championship game.

"I have to be honest, it was pretty arbitrary, the order of those five," Mandel said. No. 1 "could have easily been one of the other guys. I ended up going with Groh, and obviously he's the one who's most proven it wrong."

Asked during the summer about Mandel's column, Groh said, "I don't have a lot of comment on it. I take my perspective from my players and my peers and my colleagues, whether it's in terms of a pat on the back or constructive criticism."

In seven seasons at his alma mater, Groh has a 51-35 overall record. The Cavaliers are 31-24 in ACC games during his tenure.

When Mandel launched his rankings in 2005, his intent was to annually single out the coaches he considered the best in major-college football.

"The five-worst was kind of a throw-in," Mandel said. "But not surprisingly, that took kind of took on a life of its own . . . I don't take glee or pleasure in it for any reason, but it's become such a popular feature."

Mandel said he has not spoken to Virginia's coach since the column ran in July.

"It's awkward knowing Al Groh knows me for that," Mandel said, "and the next time I have to interview him, it's going to be awkward."

Mandel may not have a slice of humble pie for Thanksgiving, but it'll be on his menu soon, and his readers will know that he misjudged Groh this year.

"I'm going to wait till after the Virginia-Virginia Tech game -- I want to see what the final product is -- but I've got to write something acknowledging it," Mandel said.

 

Hot Hokies ready for main course
After snacking on Miami, Tech looks to challenge of Virginia
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 - 12:06 AM 
By DARRYL SLATER
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

BLACKSBURG -- They are conditioned to live one week at a time, never looking ahead, never considering the future beyond the upcoming game. But Virginia Tech's players were in tune enough with reality to understand that last Saturday's game against Miami was, in many ways, an appetizer to the regular-season finale at Virginia.

Having beaten Miami 44-14, they can finally shift their focus to Saturday's noon game at Virginia. The winner earns the Coastal Division's spot in the ACC title game, Dec. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla. Even a Tech loss to Miami wouldn't have changed that.

"The biggest game we've ever played against Virginia, without question," 21st-year Tech coach Frank Beamer said after the Miami game.

Both teams come into the game riding hot streaks. No. 8 Tech (9-2) has won three consecutive games, by an average of 24 points. No. 16 Virginia, coming off a 5-7 season last year, is 9-2, with just one loss since a season-opening defeat at Wyoming.

The Cavaliers also had the luxury of an off week when Tech played Miami. In Virginia's last game, Nov. 10, it beat Miami 48-0.

All of that made it hard for Tech's players to not look ahead.

"Now it is finally here, you can talk about it," Tech quarterback Sean Glennon said. "You don't want to admit you knew this, but we knew win or lose [against Miami] it was still going to come down to [this] week to who goes to the ACC championship game."

Glennon also knows Tech's success -- especially against a Virginia defense that includes end Chris Long, one of the nation's best defensive players -- will hinge to a large degree on its offensive line, which has improved after struggling earlier in the season.

"First six games of the season, [the line] wasn't playing great," he said. "They weren't executing well. These last five games, we've really been pleased with what they're doing."


 

Hokies penning a blockbuster script
Tech now moves on to more important matters after defeating Miami.
Randy King

Saturday's 89th football meeting between arch rivals Virginia Tech and Virginia has all the makings of a superb screenplay.

Both teams are highly ranked. Tech is No. 8, UVa is No. 16. Both have identical records of 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the ACC. The Scott Stadium survivor will earn the Coastal Division and face Atlantic Division winner Boston College (9-2, 5-2) in the Dec. 1 ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville, Fla.

"That's how you want it to be, you want a game against your rival to mean something and this one does. I don't think you could write a better script," Tech senior flanker Eddie Royal said.

Following their 44-14 pounding of Miami on Saturday in Lane Stadium, the Hokies immediately turned their attention to what is arguably the most important Tech-UVa matchup ever. Never mind it's Thanksgiving break week on campus. And forget about sleeping late. The Hokies will be in position meetings before daybreak this morning.

"We've got to be here at 6:30 in the morning and have our minds right and ready to go," senior linebacker Vince Hall said.

Sounds fine to the Hokies. All that matters now is beating UVa for a fourth consecutive year, which would give them a shot at their second ACC title in four years in the league.

"It would be great, but you never know cause every dog has their day," Hall said.

If Hall was referring to the Cavaliers as being the underdog, he was correct. Tech opened as a 312-point favorite Sunday at most Las Vegas books.

A victory would give Tech's seniors a 4-0 career sweep over UVa. The Hokies have won seven of the past eight meetings between the state's two major programs.

"We ain't never lost to these boys, man, and we're really looking forward to them giving us their best shot," senior split end Justin Harper said. "UVa is sitting back licking their chops, and we're sitting here doing the same thing. We're not going to take nothing from UVa cause they're a great team. They're sitting in the same position we are, so if anything they're just as equal so we've got to be ready to play."

Other than having to make the 212-hour bus ride from Blacksburg, the Hokies have no qualms about facing the Cavaliers in Charlottesville. Two years ago in Scott, Tech laid a 52-14 licking on the Wahoos. The Hokies are 5-2 against UVa in Charlottesville during their soon-to-be 15-year streak of consecutive bowl appearances since 1993.

In their four years in the ACC, the Hokies have been the league's road kings, winning 14 of 15 games. They are 12-4 in conference home games during the same span.

"This team does a great job of going on the road," Tech quarterback Sean Glennon said. "Our road record just shows a lot about this team's mental approach, that we don't let the crowd get to us and that the coaches do a great job of preparing us.

"Obviously, we'd prefer to play at home, but playing on the road is fun, too. I love playing with your backs against the wall and everybody is against you."

UVa's surprising season hasn't gone unnoticed to the Hokies. They know all about how Al Groh's club has won eight of nine game since losing 23-3 at Wyoming in their season opener. Five of UVa's wins have come by two points or less.

"I've never lost to them, but at the same time, the way they're finishing [games] strong this year, you can't overlook that," Hokies senior defensive end Chris Ellis said. "They're winning close games, so you definitely try not to keep it close.

"At the same time, they've had two weeks to prepare so we're going to expect everything plus the kitchen sink to be thrown at us. We're behind a little bit, but the Thanksgiving break is going to help us a little bit cause we can stay in the film room a little bit longer, work on some things and come up with a scheme.

"We definitely don't feel we're untouchable, but the confidence is definitely there. We're just looking forward to playing our best football every game, or better than we did last week."

 

Hokies' Royal eager for last U.Va. game
Virginia Tech starts gearing up for Saturdays game at Virginia immediately after its win against Miami to cap a hot three-game streak.
By NORM WOOD | nwood@dailypress.com | 247-4642
8:46 PM EST, November 18, 2007
 

BLACKSBURG - Though No. 8 Virginia Tech had just finished its 44-14 win against Miami on Saturday, wide receiver Eddie Royal's mind already had made the 150-mile trip from Blacksburg up I-81 and I-64 to Charlottesville.

Considering everything that rides on Saturday's Tech-Virginia game, it's hard to blame Royal for being a little flighty. There never has been so much riding on one Tech-U.Va. game. The winner of the in-state rivalry not only gets bragging rights, it also gets the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division title and a spot in the Dec. 1 ACC championship game against Boston College.

"That's how you want it to be," said Royal, a senior who has scored a touchdown in each of his last two games against U.Va. "You want these games to mean something. It's your senior year, your last regular-season game is going to be against U.Va. and you're deciding who's going to the ACC championship. You couldn't write a better script."

Of course, there's so much more Royal could've mentioned. It would give Royal a clean sweep against U.Va. in his four seasons. A victory by Tech (9-2 overall, 6-1 ACC) would make the Hokies' senior class the first in school history with 10 or more wins in four consecutive seasons.

Tech comes into the game with an appropriate level of confidence, given how it has played in the last three weeks. Since its heartbreaking 14-10 loss to Boston College on Oct. 25, Tech has won by an average of 24 points per game in conference victories at Georgia Tech and at home against Florida State and Miami.

Tech averaged 411 yards of offense in those three games -- 116 more than its average in the first eight games of the season -- and gave up an average of 250 yards and 13 points. Despite their success, Tech's players have taken notice of what No. 16 U.Va. (9-2, 6-1) has done, winning an NCAA-record five games by two points or fewer.

"One thing we know that they know how to do is win close games," said Tech defensive end Chris Ellis, a Bethel High graduate. "If it's a close game, we're going to have to (lock) it down, but we're going to try to stay away from that."

After the Miami game, Tech coach Frank Beamer already had done his pregame, big-picture analysis of the impending meeting with U.Va. He didn't hesitate to call it the biggest Tech-U.Va. game in the history of the rivalry.

"There's a healthy respect between the two teams in this state," Beamer said. "They do it the right way, and we do it the right way. The state of Virginia is the one benefiting from this rivalry.

"I think it's a credit to the state of Virginia that their two programs are playing for the Coastal Division championship of the ACC."

 

U.Va.-Tech worth billing, for change
November 19, 2007 12:35 am

WE'LL FORGIVE Chris Ellis. He's 22, and many young people have little sense of history beyond last week.

So it shouldn't be left to Virginia Tech's senior defensive end to put Saturday's state showdown in perspective. There are plenty of us to do it for him.

"This will be the biggest Virginia Tech-Virginia game in some time," Ellis said Saturday evening.

Try ever, Chris.

The Hokies and Cavaliers have been butting heads for more than a century, and not one of the 88 meetings has been meaningless. Bragging rights for 364 days are always at stake. Families have stopped talking to each other for weeks, and some embarrassing bet debts have been paid off.

But never have both teams entered the game with nine victories and rankings as high as this year. The Hokies are eighth and the Cavaliers 16th in the Associated Press poll released yesterday.

And never before has Tech-U.Va. been a de facto playoff game, as this Saturday's meeting in Charlottesville will be. The winner claims the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division title and a date with Boston College Dec. 1 in Jacksonville, with a spot in the Orange Bowl on the line.

The loser may end up in Jacksonville, too--a month later, in the Gator Bowl. It's a fine game, but the payout is about $15 million less than the ACC champion will get.

Other than that, it's just another game.

Right. And Microsoft is just another stock.

Ellis and friends need no pregame hype. They're aware of what's at stake. And while the Hokies have more homegrown talent than the Cavaliers, who shop out of state more often for recruits, many of both teams' players have known each other since high school.

"That's how you want it. You want games to mean something," said senior receiver Eddie Royal, a native of Herndon. "It's our last regular-season game, against U.Va. You couldn't write a better script."

For years, though, subplots have carried the drama. For half a century, the Cavaliers and Hokies weren't even in the same league. They were founding members of the Southern Conference in 1921, but Virginia resigned in 1936 and in 1953 joined the fledgling ACC, which didn't invite the Hokies. Tech stayed in the Southern Conference until 1965, but had no affiliation until the Big East adopted football in 1991.

For 13 years, the Cavaliers and Hokies were separated by 150 miles and separate spheres. When George Welsh took Virginia to a brief No. 1 ranking in 1990, Frank Beamer was still struggling to build a program in Blacksburg. When the Hokies rose to power in the late 1990s, the Cavaliers' fortunes were ebbing.

Now, with alumni (Beamer and Virginia's Al Groh) in charge, the stakes have never been higher.

"This year, if you win it, you get a chance to play for the ACC championship," Beamer said.

"There's a healthy respect between the two teams in the state. They do it the right way, and we do it the right way, The state of Virginia is the one benefiting from this rivalry."

The Hokies, who won the ACC title as rookies in 2004 and lost in the 2005 title game, were expected to be in this position. The Cavaliers weren't. They were picked to finish fourth in the Coastal Division, and they haven't sniffed so much as a share of the ACC crown since 1995.

But through resiliency, a fortuitous ACC schedule (Boston College, Clemson and Florida State are notably absent) and the brilliance of All-American Chris Long, they're in a dead heat with the Hokies. They have home-field advantage and a week's rest.

Tech has more big-game experience and equal confidence, built off three convincing November victories following a potentially demoralizing late collapse against BC.

As always, may the better team win. Being the better team this year may be a taller task than in the past, when both sides haven't always been championship-caliber.

Said Tech senior linebacker Vince Hall: "You don't know what's going to happen. What better way to go out than in a big way?"

 

A doghouse in waiting?
Lesher marriage works, but it's a challenge this week
Monday, Nov 19, 2007 - 12:06 AM
By MICHAEL PHILLIPS
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

The first time Laura Lesher went to the rivalry game with Brent Lesher, they made a bet. The loser would have to wear the sweatshirt of the winning team.

When Brent tried to give her his University of Virginia sweatshirt, she threw it off the side of the parking garage.

The sweatshirt survived, as did their love and their school loyalties. This week, they'll again make the trek to Charlottesville for the rivalry game.

"She's a gracious winner but also a bad loser," Brent said.

That hasn't been an issue recently, as Laura's Hokies have dominated the series.

"We really need to beat Tech," Brent said. "It's just been too long."

The two have learned to co-exist on non-rivalry weeks, something they say was made easier by the fact that the schools were in different conferences for a long time. When the teams are playing other opponents, they root for -- or at least don't root against -- their spouse's school.

"I'm not sure the marriage could have lasted this long otherwise," Laura said with a laugh. "We don't root against each other except for this one game."

Friends know of the split interests in the Lesher family, though it's not exactly a secret. Their license plate reads "UVA VTEC."

They also have the "House Divided" flag flying in their front yard, though during weeks where just one of the schools wins, it is replaced with that school's flag.

And while the sweatshirt bet no longer is in effect, it's been replaced with a different one. For the couple's Christmas cards, their son Braden will wear the gear of the winning team.

He's just 3 years old, so he hasn't worn the orange and blue yet.

"I hope this is the year," Brent said. "Things are looking good."