Redshirts suit Wake's Grobe
Deacons coach sees value of players with a fifth year on team
Friday, Nov 07, 2008 - 12:07 AM

U.VA. AT WAKE FOREST

Tomorrow:3:30 p.m.
On the air:TV -- ESPNU; radio -- WRVA (1140), 2:30 p.m.
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In his eight years as Wake Forest's football coach, Jim Grobe never has played more than three true freshmen in a season, and his faith in the value of redshirting hasn't wavered.

Grobe, a University of Virginia alumnus, didn't always think that way. Before he came to Wake, he spent six seasons as coach at Ohio University, where "I think we played 13 or 14 true freshmen our first year" because numbers were down in the program, Grobe recalled Wednesday.

"The thing that bothered us was when these guys became fourth-year seniors, several of them were some of the best players we'd had in school history . . . and we looked back and thought, 'Wow, if we could have had these guys as fifth-year guys, think how good we could have been.'

"So we kind of learned our lesson by playing too many true freshmen. Sometimes you play a true freshman and you don't get much bang for your buck, because they end up just playing a couple snaps on special teams a game. That's what we're trying to avoid."

And that's the situation at Virginia, Wake's opponent tomorrow in Winston-Salem, N.C. Two of the most productive Cavaliers -- wide receiver Maurice Covington and defensive end Alex Field -- are fourth-year seniors who played little as true freshmen in 2005.

Each made his debut in the Cavaliers' sixth game that year. By season's end, each had appeared in five games. Covington finished with five catches for 60 yards; Field, with two tackles.

Eighth-year coach Al Groh has shown more restraint recently, but early in his tenure at Virginia his philosophy regarding true freshmen was strikingly different from that of Grobe.

Until 2006, when he redshirted every newcomer except nose tackle Nate Collins, Groh never played fewer than six true freshmen in a season. He used 14 in 2002, 10 in '04 and 11 in '05.

Five true freshmen played for U.Va. in 2007, and five have played this season, including starters Jimmy Howell (punter) and Austin Pasztor (offensive guard). Linebacker Cameron Johnson and cornerback Rodney McLeod play in passing situations. Of the five, walk-on kicker Robert Randolph has played by far the least, but his role may grow this month.

"Unless a guy is going to play 25 or 30 plays [each game] and be a standout," Groh said yesterday, "we would prefer to [redshirt him]. Usually the fifth year's going to be more productive than the first. But sometimes there are just some circumstances where the team needs the player that year, even though it's not going to be in the biggest possible role."

That was the case, Groh said, with Covington and Field in 2005. Another true freshman who made his debut against FSU that year was Kevin Ogletree, now U.Va.'s top receiver. Ogletree missed the 2007 season while recovering from knee surgery and is classified as a redshirt junior this fall.

Covington, who didn't become a starter until last year, has 25 receptions for 302 yards and one touchdown this season, and he's caught at least three passes in each of the Wahoos' past five games.

Field was U.Va.'s No. 3 defensive end in 2006 and '07, behind Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald. This season, Field has five sacks, second-most on the team.

Forgive Virginia fans if they occasionally dream about a 2009 lineup that includes Field and Covington.

"I wish I did have another year to play with these guys on the team and these coaches," Field said this week, "but I don't really regret playing my freshman year. If I could play another year, I'd definitely do it. That's not really a possibility, so I don't think about it."

Covington's stance is similar.

"I never regret anything that happens," he said. "I'm kind of glad I got that experience [in 2005], but it would be nice to have another year."

True freshmen frequently have played important roles for Virginia during the Groh era. Examples include Alvin Pearman, Elton Brown, Darryl Blackstock, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Brad Butler, Wali Lundy, Ahmad Brooks and Branden Albert.

"Some guys are able to do it," said U.Va. linebacker Clint Sintim, who redshirted in 2004. "Some guys need a year of development."

Sintim, a four-year starter, counts himself among the latter group.

"Redshirting worked out perfectly for me," he said.

 

Virginia looks to trounce Demon Deacons on road
Virginia, Wake Forest have history of razor-thin, hard-fought contests
Chloe Newschwander, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Published: Friday, November 7 2008

Sophomore quarterback Marc Verica will look to bring his team back from a setback in this weekend’s contest. A sweet winning streak for the Virginia football team turned sour at the end of last Saturday’s game at Scott Stadium. The loss to Miami in an overtime letdown has cast a shadow of doubt on whether Virginia can make it to the ACC Championship game.

Had the team avoided two missed field goals and a late fumble, the Cavaliers (5-4, 3-2 ACC) could have prevented the 24-17 overtime loss to Miami (6-3, 3-2 ACC). But instead of dwelling on what might have been, the Cavaliers will use last Saturday’s disappointing results as motivation to play at the height of their ability as they take on Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. Saturday.

“We can’t wait to get back out there, especially coming off a game like that,” Virginia junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree said. “We want to get back out there as soon as possible. We want to go prove something again.”

For Ogletree, “proving something” has not been a problem during his first season back from a knee injury. Despite his setback, Ogletree is nearing the bar he set for himself in 2006. This season Ogletree has 44 catches for 545 yards and four touchdowns, proving his ability to return strong after a year of recovery.

The previously unrecognized potential of Virginia redshirt freshman wide receiver Jared Green was apparent when he caught his first touchdown at the collegiate level during Virginia’s matchup against Miami. Upon direction from Virginia coach Al Groh, Green has used the 2008 season to focus on developing his strengths and not worrying about the weaknesses he may have.

“He was a very raw player coming in,” Groh said. “We had a chance to see him catch the ball much more in practice than in games and had confidence that with work he would develop into a good receiver.”

Even if Green continues to impress the coaches on the field and even if passes are completed and Virginia executes plays successfully, the Cavalier defense will have its work cut out for itself with Wake Forest’s redshirt junior quarterback Riley Skinner on the field.

With a shoulder injury, Skinner boasts a 123.4 pass efficiency rating, 122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

“He’s a marvelous player,” Groh said. “He makes great decisions, he’s accurate, he’s cool at the end of the games. He’s clearly engineered that train.”

When two teams with standout players like Wake’s Skinner and Virginia’s Cedric Peerman compete, the result is unpredictable. Virginia and Wake Forest epitomize the concept of unpredictability with their individual histories of saving the action for the final quarters.

“Wake Forest and Virginia are the two teams during the course of two-plus seasons, almost three seasons now, who have played in the most games in this conference that were decided right at the end,” Groh said. “That was the case last year when the two teams played, and now a year later there’s just been more added to that total for each team. Last year substantiated that because clearly that was decided on the last play.”

Just last weekend against Duke, Wake Forest pulled away with a 33-30 overtime win, tying with Florida State for second in the ACC Atlantic Division.

The Virginia football team has not traveled to Wake Forest since 2002, making it difficult to know what to expect from the Demon Deacons on their home field.

“It’s almost as though you’re playing a non-conference opponent,” Groh said. “You know what’s going on with their games, but outside of that you don’t have a great familiarity with them. You really have to study them.”

Virginia’s determination to put last weekend’s loss in the past could bode well for the Cavaliers as they enter tomorrow’s game.

“That’s the great thing about this game — there’s a chance for redemption from week to week,” sophomore quarterback Marc Verica said. “If things didn’t go your way the week before, then you have a great opportunity the next week. Usually, a win can solve things like this.”

 

Deacons win the turnover battle
By Jay Jenkins
Published: November 6, 2008

It would be easy to give all the credit to Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner, who has thrown only four interceptions all season.

The same kudos, of course, could be lauded on cornerback Alphonso Smith, who has five picks on defense.

Obviously, the two Demon Deacons have had help from their supporting cast, but regardless, Wake Forest (5-3, 3-2 ACC) will enter Saturday’s game against Virginia (5-4, 3-2) ranked fourth in the nation in turnover margin.

That number would be even better without a forgettable six-turnover offensive performance in a loss to Navy.

With or without the numbers against Navy, Virginia coach Al Groh said the effort to create takeaways and limit miscues by Wake Forest’s operation has been “very impressive” this season.

“It’s the supply line to the scoreboard for them,” Groh said. “They are doing a great job with it.”

On the season, Wake Forest has forced 24 turnovers. Twelve of those have come on interceptions and the other half have come on fumble recoveries.

However, it does go beyond causing turnovers.

“What I think is distinctive of their defensive team and something that we appreciate because of how we go about things here, is their players are very good on defense with their block protection techniques and beating blocks,” Groh said. “It’s just not all about shooting gaps and running around and shaking guys free — they take blockers on.

“They use their hands well, they leverage blockers, they push back and that’s something that comes with development that younger players usually have to work on. Across the board they do a very, very nice job of that.”

Smith, who has drawn major attention from NFL scouts, is obviously the star of the defensive unit, which in pedestrian fashion ranks seventh in the ACC against the pass and the run.

“[Smith] just has that knack — the ball seems to find him,” Groh said. “Of course it is not that simple — he puts himself in the right place, but Alphonso is very impressive to watch.

“He knows how to bait the quarterback. He knows when to lay back to make his move. He does a great job.”

On paper it would seem obvious that Smith would be matched up against Virginia wideout Kevin Ogletree, who ranks fourth in the ACC with 4.9 receptions per game.

That may or may not be the case.

“They have had some injuries in the secondary and because of that they haven’t been able to align guys on a week-to-week basis in a preferred fashion — I don’t know what that preferred fashion would be — so [Smith] has been in a number of different spots, some of them new to where he has been previously,” Groh said. “We are planning to wait to see what the matchups will be.”

A sinking feeling

At some point on Wednesday or Thursday, Groh spoke with Ron Prince, his former offensive coordinator.

It was learned on Wednesday that Prince would not return next season as the head coach at Kansas State for his fourth season.

The news shocked Groh.

“I was definitely surprised by it,” he said.

Groh was also noticeably moved by the growing trend in college football to make such decisions public with games left on the schedule. Similar decisions were announced with Clemson’s Tommy Bowden and Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer.

“It’s disturbing and clearly in this case where the coach has not even completed three seasons,” Groh said. “It takes a little while when you are not the premier team in the conference, as they are not. They have had good teams [at Kansas State], but I think most of us would agree that Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Missouri, teams like that have been up there for a long time.

“It takes a little while to get things going the way that you would like them to be. There are a lot of examples of coaches, whose administrations who stuck by them, who turned out to do a real good job.”

Groh did not say whether he would pursue Prince should an opening arise on his staff, but praised his former assistant.

“This is one of the best coaches that I have ever coached with and one of the best people that I have worked with,” Groh said, “so clearly has a very bright future in front of him.”

The announcement of Prince’s dismissal shocked many national football experts, some of whom pointed to the five-year deal that Prince signed with the school before the season.

“Did the guy all of a sudden become a poor football coach?” ESPN analyst Lou Holtz asked on Thursday. “I think they have been totally unfair to Prince.”

 

UVa Insider, The Column
SP, UVA INSIDER

Have we seen the last of the 60,000 football crowds at Virginia’s Scott Stadium?

I felt certain that the attendance for UVa’s home game last Saturday with Miami would be in the high 50,000s, but it wasn’t even close.

The crowd of 53,308 was UVa’s highest since the opener against Southern California, but not by much. UVa’s last three home crowds have all been within 1,000 of each other.

In 2007, the Cavaliers drew 60,000 or more for each of their last four home games.

Outside of the opener, the most impressive crowd was the 52,398 who turned out Oct. 11 to watch a 2-3 Virginia team entertain East Carolina.

I’ve since come upon some information that puts that East Carolina crowd into context.

The normal allotment reserved for visiting teams at Scott Stadium is 4,300. East Carolina used 3,580, North Carolina used 1,690 and Miami used 1,428.

I can understand how the East Carolina fans might have been excited about a road game in the Mid-Atlantic area, but what does it say for North Carolina that a 6-1 team, fresh off an emotional victory over Notre Dame, would return so many tickets?

Obviously, of the three opponents, Miami would stand to bring the fewest fans because of the distance from south Florida to Charlottesville, but there should have been enough enthusiasm for Virginia after four straight wins that UVa fans would have turned out in greater numbers.

Executive associate athletic director Jon Oliver said he believed the major factor in reduced UVa attendance was the economy and observed that he had seen other indicators of a recession.

Some Cavalier observers would say that UVa’s reseating plan led to fan disenchantment, but I don’t have the numbers to gauge that.

Blowout losses in the first three I-A games may have caused fans to stay home, but it has been hard to find fault with coach Al Groh and his gang lately.

THE WORST-KEPT SECRET in the state this week has been the anticipated announcement by Brookville High School’s Logan Thomas that he will sign with Virginia Tech.

With Thomas sitting in the stands at Scott Stadium, Jamie Oakes of cavscorner.com told me that Thomas would commit to Tech while in Blacksburg for the Hokies’ Thursday night game with Maryland.

Thomas, rated the No. 4 prospect in Virginia by roanoke.com, would have been a good catch for Virginia for what he represented as a top in-state prospect, but this is not a killer loss.

Thomas, a quarterback at Brookville, probably will play tight end in college and the Cavaliers appear to be reasonably well-stocked at that spot with Joe Torchia, Andrew Devlin and Colt Phillips. They also have a commitment from Paul Freedman, a tight end from Florida.

Al Groh said on his conference call Thursday that 6-5, 245-pound redshirt freshman Mark Ambrose, originally recruited as a tight end out of Aristes, Pa., has been moved to inside linebacker. Ambrose had operations last year for a shoulder in the fall and a knee in the spring and made no progress, Groh said.

“We like his height and he’s got a high want-to level,” Groh said. “There’s a possibility there might be some room at the inn.”

Actually, there’s more than a possibility for room at inside linebacker, where the only candidate with only experience will be fifth-year Darren Childs, who only recently dusted off three-plus seasons of inactivity.

HARGRAVE MILITARY ACADEMY coach Robert Prunty, whose team is 9-0 for the first time in his seven-year tenure, said Thursday that Virginia has shown interest in four of his offensive linemen.

Specifically, UVa is taking a look at 6-foot-8, 300-pound Dan Polaski from Agawam, Mass., who was rated one of the top five prospects in Massachusetts prior to the 2007 season.

 

Low expectations
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

For all the gloom and doom that has been forecasted for the Virginia men's basketball team, chances are that the Cavaliers will have an opportunity to win a game on their final possession.

For the last three years, the Cavaliers would have looked for Sean Singletary in that situation.

Just who, exactly, will take that shot now that Singletary is gone?

"Me, of course," senior Mamadi Diane said.

Diane couldn't keep a straight face. Even if he actually felt that way, which he might, it would be out of character for Diane to be so brash.

Diane is the Cavaliers' only returning double-figure scorer, and he'll need some help. Even with Singletary, arguably the best point guard to ever play for the Cavaliers, Virginia was 10th in the ACC and finished 17-16 last season.

At the ACC's Operation Basketball, the media made UVa a preseason choice for 12th this year.

"I pay zero attention to that," said Virginia coach Dave Leitao on the eve of preseason practice. "I can prove it. In three years, whoever is responsible for predicting, they're 0-for-3. So, the likelihood of them being 0-for-4 is very strong."

In addition to Singletary, the Cavaliers will take the floor without No. 3 scorer Adrian Joseph, who was a senior, and No. 5 scorer Lauris Mikalauskas, who was dismissed by Leitao for not living up to team standards.

Virginia also lost Will Harris, who did some good things as a freshman in 2006-07, but had back problems that caused him to miss the last 14 games of the 2007-08 season.

Harris eventually transferred to Albany, opening a scholarship for 6-foot-11, 250-pound Tunji Soroye, who was awarded a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA after missing most of the 2007-08 season with an assortment of injuries.

In Soroye's absence, Virginia did not have a legitimate shot-blocker, one reason that it ranked last or next to last in the ACC in scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense, steals and blocked shots.

Soroye will be joined by a pair of first-year post players, including his fellow west African, 7-foot Assane Sene from Senegal. It has been hard for Leitao to hide his excitement over Sene's potential.

"When we were recruiting him, for a guy who had been playing the game for only five years, I was enthralled by how much of an offensive feel he had," Leitao said. "Believe me, these two aren't comparable, but when you watch a football game, Chris Long has a motor. When you watch Assane, he's got a motor.

"All the things that he's not are going to be as obvious as the things that he [is]. He hasn't figured anything out yet, but he's already more gifted offensively than Tunji is or was."

When the season ended with a 96-85 loss to Bradley in the College Basketball Invitational, Leitao swore that the Cavs would play defense this season -- which is even more important due to potential offensive voids.

A pair of wing players, sophomore Jeff Jones and freshman Sylven Landesberg, were prolific scorers in high school. Jones hit six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points against Bradley but he previously had gone 20 games without scoring in double figures.

Jones started 25 games and his 6-foot-9, 233-pound classmate, Mike Scott, started 21 games. Scott played center after Soroye and Mikalauskas were hurt. This year, he will share the power-forward spot with Jamil Tucker, who is coming off a shoulder injury.

Leitao said his impression early in practice has been that Jones and Scott are willing to become go-to offensive players.

"A lot of that is dictated more by [the players] than by me," Leitao said.

It won't be easy to take over for Singletary, a role that will be assumed by his fellow William Penn Charter graduate, Sammy Zeglinski. Zeglinski played during the nonconference portion of UVa's schedule but required foot surgery and, like Soroye, was successful in his appeal for a hardship year.

If Zeglinski isn't ready, the Cavaliers will turn to 2007-08 backup Calvin Baker, who started only eight games but was third on the team in minutes per game (25.3). Baker, described as a combination guard, has missed several practices due to a stress fracture.

Landesberg is a possibility, but Leitao won't "try and not put that on him right away because I'm going to ask him to do many more things," he said. "It would probably burden him if he had to worry about making the other four guys better all the time."

There are a lot of questions about this UVa team: Will it play defense, can it score, can it stay healthy, will leaders emerge? However, for a preseason choice for 12th, the talent level is decent, maybe better than decent.

"I kind of feel like this is almost a first-year venture because, when I got here, being blessed with Jason [Cain] and J.R. [Reynolds] and Sean was probably more than I could have expected," Leitao said.

"Now, that there's a new wave here, there is a new wave of things that have to go with it. Being as young as we are, there are going to be those great days and those down days, too."
 

Cavs welcome unbeaten Wake Forest tonight
Defending national champions will test Virginia team that is without two leaders
Adam Branham, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Published: Friday, November 7 2008

Junior midfielder Jonathan Villanueva looks to be a team leader for the Cavaliers when they face the nation’s No. 1 team, undefeated Wake. The seniors of the men’s soccer team could not ask for a more formidable opponent for their last home game. The Cavaliers will host No. 1 Wake Forest at Klöckner Stadium tonight for their senior night game. Wake Forest, whose lone blemish on its record is a double-overtime tie to Duke Oct. 18, comes into Charlottesville having already clinched the ACC regular-season crown and the top seed in the ACC Tournament.

While the defending national champion Demon Deacons (16-0-1, 6-0-1 ACC) have played nearly flawless soccer this season, Virginia (9-6-1, 4-3 ACC) has struggled of late. In last Friday’s 2-1 loss to Maryland, the Cavaliers outshot the Terrapins 9-4, dominating in possession time, but only managed to put one shot into the net, while the Terrapins capitalized on two of their three attempts on goal.

Despite good offensive ball-handling, Virginia has struggled to take advantage of its opportunities to score. Against the strong Wake Forest team, the Cavaliers will need to play nearly perfect offense if they hope to give the team’s seniors one last home win.

“We’re getting chances — it’s just a matter of scoring when we get chances,” junior midfielder/forward Neil Barlow said. “We’re not worried about creating chances because we know we can do that. But we’re young, and being able to score consistently is just something that comes with experience.”

Virginia, which hovered in the top 25 for a couple weeks before falling out in last week’s poll, has suffered some costly injuries throughout the season. After freshman forward Chris Agorsor was injured earlier this season against Central Connecticut State, freshman midfielder Tony Tchani, the Cavaliers’ leading scorer, went down with an ACL tear in an 2-2 draw with Longwood Oct. 21.
“It’s been a different year for the offense because of the injuries,” junior goalkeeper Michael Giallombardo said. “We’re searching for ourselves right now, but we have a lot of confidence in our guys.”

Meanwhile Wake Forest is playing phenomenal soccer in the always-competitive ACC. The team is averaging 3.53 goals per game while holding opponents to less than one per game. Of the team’s 16 wins, 12 have been by 2 goals or more.

Individually, junior goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald has recorded 10 shutouts while junior forward Cory Arnoux has recorded 13 goals.

Though the Demon Deacons have dominated their competition this season, Virginia is optimistic that it will ride the wave of excitement from senior night and play well in its regular-season finale.

“The team has a good feeling,” Giallombardo said. “Anytime the number one team in the country comes to town, it’s really important and we’re optimistic. When it gets closer to the post-season, coach [Gelnovatch] and [everyone] else just tightens up.”

A win would undoubtedly give the Cavaliers some momentum heading into the ACC Tournament. Currently third in the ACC standings, the Virginia players know what a win would mean for their postseason drive.

“A win would be a huge deal,” Barlow said. “It would lead us to the postseason with confidence.”

Though the thought of an upset on senior night is undoubtedly in the players’ minds, the team is trying to stay grounded and play well no matter what.

“It’s a big challenge but we’re approaching it the same way,” Giallombardo said. “A win will definitely help us, especially when it comes to the ACC Tournament. But we’re just looking at it like another ACC game.”

 

Virginia center returns home
By Jay Jenkins
Published: November 6, 2008

Aisha Mohammed has a peaceful feeling in her heart.

This summer, the powerful center on the Virginia women’s basketball team travelled back to Nigeria, her native country, to see her ailing father.

That experience in itself helped Mohammed look at basketball, her teammates and life at UVa in a different way.

Tonight in an exhibition against DT3 at John Paul Jones at 7 p.m., the new and improved Mohammed and the 15th-ranked Cavaliers will be on display.

“That trip meant a lot to me,” Mohammed said. “My dad wasn’t feeling real good, but me going back kind of raised his hope to try and fight back against his sickness.

“You don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, but if something happened, I am very happy to have been home one more time to see my family and friends, and that gave me more power to come back and not think about home and to just think about basketball and my academics and contribute to the team.”

Despite battling the emotions of being a continent away from her father last season, the former junior college All-American was rather special in her first season as a Cavalier.

Now a senior, Mohammed averaged 13.1 points and a team-best 9.2 rebounds per game. She also hit 55.4 percent of her shots from the field and nailed a gut-wrenching free throw in the final second to force overtime against Old Dominion in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Yet while trying not to brag or boast, Mohammed snuck in a warning to future opponents earlier in the preseason.

“Sometimes I think actions speak louder than words,” Mohammed said. “I am not going to say anything right now, but I know this year is going to be different from last year because I am really here right now more than last year.

“I am going to bring out everything I have out there to prove to them that Aisha is back.”

Virginia, which went 24-10 last season and welcomes back three starters, opens the regular season on Nov. 14 at home against High Point.

 

Cavs struggle at Boar’s Head
By Whitey Reid
Published: November 6, 2008

Often times, the hardest kind of tennis opponent is the one whose sole focus is keeping the ball in play via high-arcing topspin shots. The points tend to be long, leading to both mental and physical fatigue.

Such was the challenge facing Arkansas’ Aurelija Miseviciute, the No. 1 seed in the ITA National Indoor Championships that kicked off on Thursday at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.

But Miseviciute persevered through the moonballs, defeating Notre Dame’s Kelcy Tefft, 6-2, 6-4.

“I kind of knew what kind of player she would be because I’ve seen her play before,” said Miseviciute, who takes on Florida State’s Katie Rybakova today, “so I was prepared for it and had a gameplan for it.

“I think it was a good first match to have because the points were long. I felt like I had a lot of tennis today, which gets me experience for my next match.”

On the men’s side, No. 1 Oleksandr Nedovyesov of Oklahoma State defeated Louisville’s Austen Childs, 6-4, 6-2.

Meanwhile, Virginia’s men’s players had a somewhat tough day.

Michael Shabaz lost to Tulsa’s Arnau Brugues, 7-6, 6-2, while Dom Inglot fell to Rice’s Bruno Rosa, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4.

“I just felt like my serve, which is my strongest point, really wasn’t going anywhere,” said Inglot, who, along with Shabaz, will now attempt to advance through the losers’ bracket. “My first-serve percentage was below 50 percent. If I want to be playing well, that can’t be happening.”

Sophomore Sanam Singh was a bright spot for UVa, defeating Fresno Pacific’s Fabio Silva, 6-2,

6-2. Today, Singh will play eighth-seeded Bryan Koniecko of Ohio State at 12:30 p.m.

In doubles, Inglot and Shabaz lost to Cal’s Geoff Chizever and Pedro Zerbini, 8-6, while Houston Barrick and Sanam Singh defeated Texas A&M’s Austin Krajicek and Conor Pollock, 9-7.

“We were really solid today,” Barrick said. “We were solid on our serves and at the net. We got a break at 6-all and that was it.”

On the women’s side, Virginia’s Jennifer Stevens had an impressive 6-3, 6-4 victory over Baylor’s Taylor Ormond, while Amanda Rales and Maggie Yahner lost to LSU’s Megan Falcon and Mykala Hedberg, 8-4.

Virginia coach Marc Guilbeau couldn’t have been more pleased with Stevens’ performance.

“She played extremely well,” Guilbeau said. “Jenny didn’t have a single bad stretch. In most matches you’re going to have ups and downs but she was really good throughout.

“The momentum was always on her side. To her credit, she kept it that way emotionally and mentally.

Today, Stevens will look to build on her effort when she takes on sixth-seeded Fani Chifchieva of Auburn at 2 p.m.

“We know she’s capable of doing this,” Guilbeau said, “but she’s got to believe it and get out there and have this kind of success to build more belief.”

 

Black coaches need to pick the right jobsby Jason Whitlock
Jason Whitlock brings his edgy and thought-provoking style to FOXSports.com.

From afar, the premature dismissal of Kansas State football coach Ron Prince appears to be a tale of a black coach cut down before receiving a fair opportunity in a backwoods environment.

From ground zero, the fall of Prince is a cautionary tale, revealing the perils of a talented, charismatic, immature coach crashing and burning in a dysfunctional, athletic-department environment that could in no way nurture his development.

There is reason for outrage today. With Prince joining Tyrone Willingham in the unemployment line at the end of this month, Division I college football will have just four African-American head coaches, a shameful statistic.

But allow me to ask a difficult question. What role do we (black people) play in keeping the number low?

The question is not asked to dismiss or diminish the role of America's still-existent racial inequality. The question is asked to challenge us to consider ways of combating it other than pointless whining.

That is the lesson of Barack Obama.

Life and America are equally unfair. That reality does not have to define your existence or level of success. Our 44th president was abandoned by his father, left to be raised by his grandparents, grappled with a dual racial identity, had his patriotism questioned by hypocrites and still managed to win the hearts and minds of a diverse cross section of America.

He did it by focusing on Barack Obama, not on how the Sean Hannity crowd feels about Barack Obama.

Some black people don't like my perspective because I'm too fixated on "us" rather than "them." My initial reaction is to question "our" behavior rather than "theirs," which often leads me to criticize Chad Johnson's buffoonery, etc.

I do it because I recognize America's imperfections while fully understanding our capitalistic democracy is superior to all other forms of economy/government and provides amazing opportunities for people willing to seek first to fix themselves.

I'm rambling. Ron Prince's experience at Kansas State is an example of what is limiting black college football coaches. A talented coach with limitless potential took a job that he wasn't ready for at a place that wasn't ready for him.

White football coaches make the exact same mistake. But their history in America is far different than ours so their strategy/path can be different and they have far more margin for error. Again, life is not fair.

Black football coaches must target and pursue the right jobs.

College football needs its version of John Thompson. Big John and what he built at Georgetown in the 1980s are the reason schools are unafraid to hand their basketball programs over to black men. Thompson inherited an off-the-radar, 3-23 basketball program and built a powerhouse in his own image in a city that could handle Big Black John.

Ron Prince replaced a beloved, vibrant, still-living-in-Manhattan (Kan.) legend, Bill Snyder. Following a legend is never a good thing. A black, devout intellectual, arrogant, first-time head coach replacing a reclusive, humble white coach in a rural area is a recipe for disaster.

Unfortunately that was only the beginning of Prince's problems at Kansas State.

He had no competent administrative guidance. There was no one there to tell him when he was screwing up. Snyder worked alone and without interference.

Prince carries himself like the smartest man on campus, and he very well might be. But his brand of book intelligence has little traction at a school for future farmers. He talked over everyone's head. He promised to be bold and daring and take on any team anywhere at a place where Snyder promised little beyond hard work and delivered nine to 10 victories a season.

Prince ran off his assistant coaches with abusive, humiliating treatment. He once punished his assistants by making them run stadium stairs. He treated his players worse. After this season's loss to Louisville, he reportedly put his players through a strenuous conditioning session when they arrived back on campus at 3 a.m.

Ron Prince needed help. He needed a strong A.D., someone able to explain to him where he was and what that meant, someone willing to help him see that you can't be Bobby Knight in the new millennium, especially when you're not backed by a truckload of national and conference titles.

I promise you Ron Prince could be a successful head coach. He was rushed to a BCS school and the wrong BCS job.

Given time to develop as a head coach off-Broadway, things very well might have turned out differently for Ron Prince.

Take a look at Turner Gill at Buffalo. He's in his third season in the Mid-American Conference. His career record is 11-21 but his reputation is impeccable. He was the MAC coach of the year in 2007 after guiding the Bulls to a 5-7 record. Buffalo is 4-4 this year and has a shot at representing the East in the MAC title game.

Gill is taking the proper path to coaching greatness. He is likely to get a BCS job in the next two to three years. When he gets it, he'll be ready.

Top-flight black BCS assistant coaches should be targeting mid-major head-coaching jobs. The MAC, Sun Belt, Mountain West and Conference USA are good proving grounds for future BCS coaches. Gill and Houston's Kevin Sumlin hold non-BCS jobs.

Many black assistant coaches limit their opportunities because they're too shortsighted. They're unwilling to pursue a MAC or I-AA job because the pay might be less than being a position coach at a BCS school.

No risk, no reward.

Brady Hoke, who is white, took a pay cut when he left Michigan to lead his alma mater, Ball State, the 17th-ranked team in the country. Even after a raise following a 2007 bowl season, he is still paid poorly ($240,000) by even MAC standards, has no coaching offices and the school's administration recently suggested in an Indianapolis Star story that it has no interest in properly supporting his success.

But six seasons into his tenure, he's developed into the perfect BCS candidate and positioned himself (if he chooses) to bolt from a university that doesn't appreciate or comprehend what he's accomplished.

Playing the coaching game is not nearly enough. Playing the coaching game properly is the only thing that will lead to significant progress for black college coaches.