U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Dec 31, 2003

SWITCHING SIDES: Kevin Ross, a 1988 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, said he had no reservations about joining his father at the U.S. Military Academy. So what if the news floored his Navy buddies?

"They were in shock," Ross said with a laugh yesterday. "Had it been anybody else, I might not have done it. But blood is a lot thicker than anything else."

Army introduced Bobby Ross as its football coach Dec. 9. The Richmond native announced yesterday that Kevin, who was born in Lexington, will serve as the Black Knights' offensive coordinator and work with their running backs. The younger Ross spent the past three seasons on Al Groh's staff at Virginia, where coached the running backs.

Ross, a Desert Storm veteran who served in the Marine Corps, said he loved his experience at U.Va. But he's excited about his new post.

"It's a chance to work at a prestigious place like West Point, with everything it represents, and to work with my dad also," he said. "It's the best of all worlds."

Ross, 38, has known for about three weeks that he'd join his father at West Point. Groh asked Army to hold the announcement until Virginia's season ended, and "I can respect that," Bobby Ross said in a statement.

U.Va. beat Pittsburgh 23-16 in the Continental Tire Bowl on Saturday. Groh, who wasn't available for comment yesterday, said recently that Ross was likely to leave for West Point. Candidates to fill the vacancy on U.Va.'s staff are expected to include graduate assistant Anthony Poindexter.

VALIANT EFFORT: Virginia safety Jermaine Hardy nearly made it to the finish line. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Sept. 6 against South Carolina but stayed in the starting lineup the rest of the season.

Hardy's knee finally gave out with 11:35 left in the third quarter Saturday against Pittsburgh in the Continental Tire Bowl.

"I gave the team what I had," Hardy said after U.Va.'s 23-16 victory. "I made it to the last game of the season."

The junior from Roanoke has reconstructive surgery scheduled for next week. "I'm ready to get it over with," Hardy said.

Senior cornerback Almondo Curry and Virginia coach Al Groh lauded Hardy's dedication.

"He's the type of player that you would want on your team," Curry said, "because he never gave up, and he never made any excuses about his knee and why he didn't make a tackle. He just stuck in there."

Groh said: "He didn't say boo. In every aspect, he's just matured so wonderfully. He's a very, very proficient student, and obviously a good player. He's a wonderful person."

CUTTING COMMENT: U.Va. finished with an 8-5 record, as did its biggest rival. The Cavaliers, however, finished with three straight victories, including a 35-21 victory over Virginia Tech in the regular-season finale. The Hokies lost their last three games.

"We can go into next season with our heads held high," Hardy said. "Unlike Virginia Tech."

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING: The Cavaliers' top three safeties heading into the season were Hardy, sophomore Willie Davis and junior Jay Dorsey. Davis suffered a season-ending injury Sept. 6, and Dorsey was dismissed from the team after the regular season ended.

Senior Jamaine Winborne was shifted from cornerback to safety after the seventh game, and he played well against Pitt. Once Hardy left the game, though, U.Va. had to use true freshman Robbie Catterton and redshirt Lance Evans extensively.

"During the week, and all season," Hardy said, "I've been telling them, 'C'mon, y'all, you got to prepare, because you never know when I might be out. I'm just one play away,' just like today."

Neither Catterton nor Evans played much during the regular season, but they acquitted themselves well against Pitt. Catterton made his first interception, which he returned 24 yards to set up a Connor Hughes field goal that made it 20-13 early in the third quarter.

"That's a real good coming of age for them," Groh said.

- Jeff White
 

Cavaliers look to bounce back
Virginia faces tough task in Iowa State
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
December 31, 2003

Perhaps the more interesting game to observe is the one after you’re bounced from the unbeaten ranks.

Virginia traveled to N.C. State on Sunday with a sterling 8-0 mark. The Cavaliers came back 8-1 after the Wolfpack handed them an 86-69 loss for a ninth straight setback in ACC openers.

Whatever “good feelings” that accumulated during that undefeated start either disappeared or were at least fractured in that loss at the RBC Center. So, when the Cavaliers face Iowa State this evening, it will be perhaps the best litmus test of where exactly this team is. After going 8-0 against a schedule that could be ranked from mild to weak, Virginia lost to its first real formidable foe and now will face another 72 hours later.

Add in that the Cavaliers are a relatively young team and tonight’s situation becomes even more noteworthy.

“Certainly the game is as important as any other, but we really have to step up and turn the page after this one,” said senior guard Todd Billet after Sunday’s contest. “We have to put our attention on the next game because it’s the only thing we can really do anything about. We just have to concentrate on Iowa State now.”

While defending the 3-point shot has to be a concern of the Cavaliers, another bugaboo Sunday against the Wolfpack was turnovers. After entering the game averaging an ACC-low 12.6 turnovers per contest, the Cavaliers committed a season-high 18 turnovers that the Wolfpack converted into 24 points.

Two somewhat-odd factors in that total were that N.C. State is not a pressing team and Billet and freshman T.J. Bannister, UVa’s two point guards, combined for 12 assists and just one turnover.

“That was disappointing. They doubled the low post and Elton had a couple of [turnovers]. We made some unforced turnovers and that’s just way too many turnovers, especially against a team that is pressing you and denying everything,” Gillen said. “We have to adjust and learn and handle different situations. We got flustered and made some mistakes.”

When told that Brown actually had seven turnovers, Gillen acknowledged that was indeed more than a couple.

“I hadn’t really studied the stat sheet. He got doubled a lot and got frustrated. They did a good job on him but he’s got to respond when people are physical and aggressive with him,” Gillen said.

Billet has 18 assists compared to six turnovers in the last three games but has connected on just six of 20 3-point attempts during that same span. Gillen has often said Billet is a combination guard with his skills tilted more toward scoring and shooting than ballhandling but the reverse has been the case recently.

“Todd hasn’t shot the ball the way he’s capable of. We need him to be solid and shoot it well, but he has been doing a good job handling the ball and distributing,” Gillen said.

Added Billet: “I’m not too concerned about it right now. Some games you shoot it better than others. I’ve struggled with my shot in the past and it’s never really something I worried about.”
 

New bowl would have ACC tie-in
By JON SOLOMON
Staff Writer

ATLANTA — The Peach Bowl and Orange Bowl committees are considering adding second bowls by 2005 that would be affiliated with the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The ACC wants to increase its bowl lineup when expansion increases the league from nine schools to 12. If the new ACC were in place this season, the conference would have had nine teams eligible for six bowl spots.

"I’m seriously considering starting another bowl game," Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan said Tuesday. "It seems to make sense because the ACC’s going to need more, and I don’t know where they go."

Stokan said he has had discussions with the ACC office about staging the game either Dec. 22-23 or Dec. 26-27. He said the new bowl could have the No. 6, 7 or 8 team from the ACC.

The possible ACC opponent hasn’t been determined, although Stokan is interested in the Big Ten because of its high television ratings.

"We could probably get 45,000 to 50,000 people for the game," he said. "If you can do that, with the right TV partner and the right title sponsor, you could pay for $1 million per team."

A new bowl game could initially place the teams at the beach in Savannah, Ga., before coming to Atlanta one day before the game.

Orange Bowl executive director Keith Tribble said his committee is examining the possibility of having another bowl game in Miami between Dec. 26 and 28. Possible tie-ins are with the ACC, Big East, SEC and Big Ten.

Tribble said a new bowl could not be ready for 2004. Stokan said his game could be set by next season, depending on Boston College’s arrival date to the ACC.

 

Key matchup for Cavaliers
U.Va.'s season will hinge on success in nonconference games
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Dec 31, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE - With four of its teams ranked among the first nine in the latest Associated Press men's basketball poll, the Atlantic Coast Conference looks stronger than it has in years.

For Virginia, that makes its New Year's Eve bash at University Hall particularly significant.

The Cavaliers (8-1) entertain Iowa State (7-0) tonight at 6 o'clock. U.Va. coach Pete Gillen said last week that he believes his team can contend for an NCAA tournament berth this season. Given that the Cavaliers figure to struggle against many ACC foes, they can ill afford, then, to lose nonconference games.

Heading into its Sunday night game at N.C. State, U.Va. was one of 14 unbeaten teams in Division I. The Wolfpack wasn't impressed. Seven State players made at least one 3-pointer in an 86-69 rout of Virginia, which lost for the 13th time in its past 14 ACC road games.

"We've just got to bounce back," sophomore forward Derrick Byars said.

As a group, Virginia's five freshmen played well against the Pack, but the team's veterans each struggled in at least one area.

Byars missed 6 of 10 shots from the floor, turned the ball over three times and grabbed only two rebounds. Senior point guard Todd Billet missed 7 of 9 shots from behind the 3-point arc. Junior forward Devin Smith was only 6 for 15 from the floor, and junior center Elton Brown had a career-high seven turnovers, many coming after State double-teamed him.

"He got doubled a lot, and he got frustrated," Gillen said.

U.Va. doesn't play another ACC game until Jan. 11, when Duke comes to town. The Cavaliers play host Saturday afternoon to Providence (7-1) - the school from which Virginia hired away Gillen in 1998 - and then close their nonconference schedule Monday night against William and Mary at U-Hall.