Perception worst part of UVa bowl developments
Gillen timeouts again an issue after first loss
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Just for the sake of argument, let's say that school president John Casteen or athletic director Craig Littlepage had told the ACC in August that Virginia would be unable to play in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla., because it conflicted with UVa's exam period Dec. 13-21.

If that were the case, where do you think the Cavaliers would be taking their football team this postseason?

To my way of thinking, they'd still be going to the MPC Computer Bowl on Dec. 27 in Boise, Idaho.

As one of three teams tied for third in the ACC, presumably the Cavaliers could have done better than the bowl with the sixth choice of ACC teams, or could they?

I suspect that Virginia would have taken more fans than Miami to the Peach Bowl, which had the third choice of ACC teams, but the Hurricanes are ranked higher than the Cavaliers and defeated Virginia 31-21 in Charlottesville in November.

North Carolina was part of the three-way tie for third with Miami and Virginia. Ideally, Miami would have gone to the Peach Bowl; Virginia would have gone to the Champs Sports Bowl, with its fourth choice of ACC teams; and North Carolina would have gone to the Continental Tire Bowl, which picked fifth.

In fact, Carolina agreed to take a Continental Tire Bowl bid before the Peach and Champs Sports Bowls filled their spots. When I spoke to Champs Sports Bowl executive Tom Mickle on Nov. 24, three days before the Virginia-Virginia Tech game, he gave every indication that he would take an 8-3 Virginia team.

It was later that day, apparently, that Virginia finally got around to telling Mickle for certain that it had a problem with exams.

So, what would have happened if Mickle had known earlier? Nothing, probably. Perhaps, the Champs Sports Bowl would have taken a streaking Carolina, but the Continental Tire Bowl wouldn't have wanted Virginia for a third year in a row. Besides, the Champs Sports Bowl might have had the same objection to Carolina that it has had to Georgia Tech -- at 6-5, both teams were two games worse than Virginia.

If not for a brawl at the end of its game with South Carolina, Clemson would have been 6-5, too, making the Tigers available for Boise, although Clemson has been there before. Even if the ACC had been able to persuade the MPC Computer Bowl to take Clemson, what was the Cavaliers' alternative? The Independence Bowl? What's so all-fired great about the Independence Bowl, except for an extra $500,000 that would get shared 11 ways?

So, no harm was done? Or was it? Mickle said last year that he had nothing against Virginia and this year he was set to prove it. Now what does he think? That Virginia doesn't have it act together. What's the ACC to think? That, 18 months after gumming up the ACC expansion process, Virginia is a big pain in the behind.

Commissioner John Swofford told reporters last week that the ACC would have made a mistake by not accepting newly crowned football champion Virginia Tech, so the expansion matter is forgotten. But given the ACC's perceived lack of support for Virginia's bowl interests in the past, what's going to happen in the future?

EX-ROANOKE TIMES sportswriter Ralph Berrier, who now has plenty of time on his hands as the newspaper's music reviewer, said he found it interesting that Virginia wouldn't let its football team play in a bowl during the exam period, Dec. 13-21, when its men's soccer team had its sights set on the NCAA title game slated for Sunday, Dec. 12.

If not for an embarrassing quarterfinal loss to Duke, a team they had beaten twice during the regular season, the Cavaliers would have been in California this weekend. If they had played Sunday, how many Monday exams would have been postponed? Not as many as would have been postponed for the approximately 350 students who are associated with the football team, band, etc., but nobody is talking about these other teams.

What of the accommodations that are made for spring sports teams competing in NCAA events during exams? I don't have a number for that, but every year, one of the lacrosse teams misses graduation or graduates after the fact or in some hotel. There are so many examples of academics taking a back seat; to make an issue at this time smacks of grandstanding.

LOST IN THE DISCUSSION of UVa's draft-eligible football players and their upcoming decisions is junior offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, one of five Cavaliers named first-team All-ACC.

Questions have surrounded tight end Heath Miller and linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Darryl Blackstock, but it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Ferguson will be back and that's a good thing for a UVa offensive line that will lose seniors Elton Brown and Zac Yarbrough.

Originally, I would have been inclined to say that fourth-year junior Miller would be least influenced by the bright lights and would be the most likely to return, but UVa insiders say they feel there could be more of a case for third-year junior Blackstock and second-year sophomore Brooks returning.

(Brooks is eligible for the NFL Draft by virtue of last year's Larry Fitzgerald ruling, which allowed a prep school year to count toward therequired three-year waiting period once a player leaves high school).

The major consideration for Brooks and Blackstock, I'm told, is academics. If they feel, after the first semester, that their 2005 eligibility is not in danger, then they will be back. If there is a possibility they will be academically ineligible, they will go. Or so I've been told.

I've always suspected that Miller could be lured back if coach Al Groh could make a convincing case, but Miller also has the vivid picture of defensive end and fifth-year senior Chris Canty blowing out his knee in the fourth game of the season -- a development not unlike the injury that may have cut short the career of All-America safety and current UVa aide Anthony Poindexter.

HATE TO SAY IT, but the reaction of UVa people who were not at the UVa-Iowa State men's basketball game was almost unanimous. After an 81-79 loss in Ames, Iowa, what everybody wanted to talk about was coach Pete Gillen's unconventional use of his timeouts.

I can't say that the Cavaliers needed a timeout to set up a shot with 9.1 seconds left. Freshman Sean Singletary got a good run at the basket. But, when Devin Smith was tied up with 2:36 left, he was unable to call a timeout and Iowa State had the possession arrow. Players frequently call timeouts in situations like that.

Gillen had used his last timeout with 8:10 left. Earlier, he had called a timeout with 16 minutes left, when he could have gotten a free one as quickly as one second later.

A Division I coach pointed out that it would have been nice to have a timeout following the Gary Forbes bucket that gave Virginia a 79-77 with 27.2 seconds left. Gillen could have set his defense and reminded his players not to allow a 3-pointer. As it was, J.R. Reynolds appeared to drop back into a zone -- did he even see Gillen's man-to-man call from the bench? -- and Iowa State's Curtis Stinson buried the go-ahead 3-pointer.

Virginia's Heath Miller Wins John Mackey Award
Dec. 9, 2004

Manhasset, N.Y. - Virginia tight end Heath Miller (Swords Creek, Va.) is the winner of the 2004 John Mackey Award, the Nassau County Sports Commission announced on Thursday.

Miller edged out finalists Alex Smith (Stanford) and Marcedes Lewis (UCLA) in the closest race in Mackey Award history. The John Mackey Award is given to the collegiate tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of NFL Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey.

"The entire Virginia football family is thrilled for Heath, and we congratulate him," head coach Al Groh said. "He truly is `the best' in every respect. He is a sensational playmaker yet selfless in every way. We are all proud to go to the field with him every day."

On the season, Miller has 36 receptions for 475 yards and five touchdowns. The All-American leads the team in receiving and has scored 20 career touchdowns, most by a tight end in ACC history. Miller is a sure-handed receiver who gets a lot of attention for his pass catching ability, but he's also an outstanding blocker who enjoys it. Off the field, he studies towards a degree in sociology and has been an active participant in the football team's visits to the Children's Medical Center at the University of Virginia.

Miller is Virginia's first major award winner since Bill Dudley won the Maxwell Award as the nation's outstanding collegiate football player in 1941.

The John Mackey Award is given to the collegiate tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of NFL Hall of Fame Tight End John Mackey. The official presentation of the award takes place on April 11, 2005 at the annual NCSC Awards Dinner. For additional information, contact Bryan Revello via phone, 516-365-9625 or via email, revello@nassausports.org.

 

Cavaliers get welcomed time off
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
December 10, 2004

For his critics, when Virginia coach Pete Gillen speaks of his team’s “tired legs” and exhaustion, it causes sighs.

For that crowd, if Gillen says it when his team is indeed tired and exhausted - as it was Wednesday night against Furman - it must have a boy-who-cried-wolf quality to it.

On this occasion, Gillen has said no truer words. After playing their fifth game in 11 days, the No. 19 Cavaliers mustered just enough energy for a late rally and a 79-67 victory over Furman.

“It was a tough, hard-fought game and we knew it would be. Our players showed some courage and determination and found a way to win,” Gillen said. “There wasn’t much left in the tank. We had no energy, no legs and were emotionally drained.”

It is perhaps no surprise that key players in this contest were the ones that had generally smaller roles or performances in the 81-79 loss at Iowa State on Monday.

J.R. Reynolds, who by his own admission had the worst game of his college career Monday, had 18 points against Furman and supplied several important baskets down the stretch.

Gary Forbes, the Cavaliers’ sixth man, did make two important baskets late in the Iowa State game but was probably a little fresher than the starters after playing 17 minutes Monday. Forbes scored a game-high 21 points against Furman and, like Reynolds, was instrumental in the Cavaliers’ decisive late surge.

“Forbes probably played what, 20 minutes against Iowa State?,” Furman coach Larry Davis said. “When you look at it, he should have been the guy who had the freshest legs. He brought them some energy and he did some things.”

Forbes’ performance was an indication of how valuable he can be. Gillen says he is essentially a starter and will play starter’s minutes in certain game situations. As a sixth man, however, Forbes brings Virginia a skilled offensive player with a knack for scoring. In many ways, that is quite a luxury.

“I think he gets a feel for things when he comes in. I consider him a starter and he will get starter’s minutes,” Gillen said.

Added Reynolds: “It’s definitely an advantage to be able to have Gary come off the bench. He can slash, go to the hoop strong and can also shoot outside. He did a great job tonight. Coach is right, he’s like a starter.”

Forbes had 12 first-half points for the Cavaliers and helped spell Devin Smith, whose energy was sapped from Monday night’s 40-point effort. In the second half, Forbes connected on a 3-pointer with 5:32 left that gave Virginia a 66-56 advantage and then later had consecutive layups to lift Virginia to a 79-64 lead.

“Coach tells me that he considers me a starter and I know that at times my job is to come in and score and try to give the team a lift,” said Forbes, who is averaging 8.8 points per game. “I had to do that tonight. I think the good thing about this team is that we need different guys at different times and this was my game to step up and give the team a lift.”

At this section of a basketball season, most schools have extended breaks because of exams. Virginia actually will not play again until Dec. 23 when it hosts Loyola Marymount. Conventional wisdom is that a two-week layoff may almost be too long, but these weary Cavaliers offer a different opinion. They claim it couldn’t arrive soon enough nor be too long.

“It’s been a tough stretch. We’ve had a lot of traveling to go with a lot of games. We also have a lot of class work to go along with that as well. I know I haven’t had a lot of rest since like November,” Smith said. “We are looking forward to the break and give our bodies a break. We have some recovery time now and still regain our rhythm as a team.”

Miller wins Mackey Award
Cavalers tight end gives Virginia its first major football award winner since 1941
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
December 10, 2004

After a 63-year wait, the Virginia football team finally has another national award winner.

On Thursday, the Nassau County Sports Commission named Virginia junior Heath Miller the John Mackey Award winner.

The award is given annually to the collegiate tight end that best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics and community values of NFL Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey.

“The entire Virginia football family is thrilled for Heath, and we congratulate him,” UVa coach Al Groh said in a statment. “He truly is ‘the best’ in every respect. He is a sensational playmaker yet selfless in every way. We are all proud to go to the field with him every day.”

Miller’s recognition was the first major award for a Virginia football player since Bill Dudley won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s most outstanding collegiate football player in 1941.

Virginia has a chance for another national award today. Sophomore Ahmad Brooks is one of three finalists for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate linebacker.

Miller caught 36 passes this season for a team-high 475 yards. The Swords Creek native also caught five touchdown passes.

For his career, Miller has scored 20 career touchdowns, the most by a tight end in ACC history.

Earlier this week, Miller was one of five Cavaliers to be named to the All-ACC first team. Miller also earned the league’s Offensive Lineman of the Week honors on Sept. 20 after catching six catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns against Akron.

Miller redshirted his first year at Virginia, leaving open the option of him returning next season to compete as a graduate student. Miller told reporters that he would not make a decision about turning pro until after the Cavaliers’ season was completed.

Virginia (8-3) will play Fresno State (8-3) on Dec. 27 in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho.

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Dec 10, 2004

GRAND FINALE?: University of Virginia fans have one last opportunity to see quarterback Vicqual Hall perform his feats for Gretna High's football team.

Hall, who committed to U.Va. in October 2003, will play in tomorrow's state Group AA, Division 3 championship game at Liberty University in Lynchburg. Region III winner Gretna (13-0) plays Region I champion Poquoson (11-2) at 12:30 p.m.

The Hawks, defending Division 3 champions, have won 27 consecutive games. Hall has been Gretna's starting quarterback since the first game of his freshman season, and its record during that span is 46-5. The Hawks went 11-1 in 2001, 8-4 in '02 and 14-0 in '03.

With 13,400 yards of total offense - 8,583 passing and 4,817 rushing - Hall ranks fifth all-time nationally. The 5-10, 175-pound senior holds Virginia High School League career records for total offense, passing yards and touchdown passes. This season, despite sitting out most or all of the second half in many games, Hall has thrown for 2,709 yards and 37 touchdowns. He's rushed 157 times for 1,773 yards and 24 TDs.

SUPER SUB: As a freshman last season, Gary Forbes started 17 games for Virginia's basketball team. The 6-6, 210-pound swingman from Brooklyn, N.Y., has come off the bench in every game this season for the 19th-ranked Cavaliers, but his impact has been significant.

Forbes, who's averaging only 20.6 minutes per game, ranks fourth on the team in scoring (8.8 ppg), rebounding (3.9) and assists (1.9). He's shooting 50 percent from the floor and 70 percent from the line. In Virginia's 79-67 win over Furman on Wednesday night, Forbes led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed six rebounds.

"Everything was just rolling for me today," he said.

Asked about his role as the team's sixth man, Forbes said, "I can't do nothing about it. A lot of people would love to start, but it's [coach Pete Gillen's] decision, and we're winning. We're a top-25 team in the country, so I can't complain."

SELECT COMPANY: Wednesday night at Ames, Iowa, senior forward Devin Smith became the eighth player in U.Va. history to score 40 or more points in a game. Smith had 40 in a loss at Iowa State.

Of the other seven, Buzzy Wilkinson hit the 40-point mark 10 times, with a high of 48. No one else has done so more than once.

Barry Parkhill scored 51 points against Baldwin-Wallace on Dec. 11, 1971, still a school record. Other members of the club: Bob McCarty (42 against Clemson on Feb. 12, 1956), Jim Connelly (42 vs. William and Mary on Dec. 1, 1965), Tony Laquintano (41 vs. West Virginia on Dec. 17, 1960), Donald Hand (41 vs. N.C. State on Feb. 14, 1999) and Ralph Sampson (40 vs. Ohio State on Jan. 25, 1981).

HEADING WEST: U.Va. safety Marquis Weeks has accepted an invitation to play Jan. 22 in the All-American Classic at Las Vegas.

Weeks, a fifth-year senior, played tailback at Virginia before switching to safety after last season. He's third on the team in tackles with 57, including two sacks. He also averages 30.1 yards on kickoff returns, the best mark in school history.

HEAD OF THE CLASS: U.Va. third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has received the Richard W. Case Award as USA Baseball's athlete of the year. Zimmerman, a junior from Virginia Beach, starred over the summer for USA Baseball's national team, which won the gold medal at the World University championships in Taiwan.

Zimmerman set a team record by batting .468 and led the United States with four home runs and 27 RBI. He also hit 12 doubles and scored 25 runs. - Jeff White

Big men work to live up to Sampson legacy
Veteran Brown has come a long way since first season, youngsters Soroye, Minter show potential to blossom
Barney Breen-Portnoy, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer

In Virginia basketball lore, the name Ralph Sampson stands out prominently.On defense, the 7-foot-4 center served as the Director of Homeland Security for U-Hall, leading the Cavaliers in blocked shots in every one of his four years. On offense, Sampson led the team in scoring his junior and senior campaigns. In 1981, he led Virginia to its first Final Four appearance. It is hard for any Virginia player to live up to Sampson's legacy, and it is especially difficult for those who have inherited his mantle at the position of center.

The Cavaliers have three players who can play the number five. Most notable of these big men is 6-foot-9 senior Elton Brown. Brown has averaged a double-double so far this season, pulling down 10 rebounds and scoring 15.6 points per game.

However, the transition from high school to college was difficult for Brown, as it is with many centers. Big men who are accustomed to dominating weak opponents in high school no longer have that luxury with the increased athleticism of the players they face on the college level.

"I know when I came in, I was 280 pounds, and I could barely run up the court," Brown said. "The college court is longer, the game is much quicker and there is a lot more athleticism on the court. It's a big difference between college and high school."

Brown is now listed at a slim 255 pounds. Opponents have great respect for his talent. Appalachian State players referred to Brown as Elton Brand, an NBA star with the L.A. Clippers.

"If you get Elton Brown one-on-one in the post, he can score on anyone in the country," Appalachian State coach Houston Fancher said.

Brown has a protégé at the center position in freshman Tunji Soroye. Soroye, a native of Nigeria, has seen limited action so far this year but will be counted upon to fill the void underneath the basket after Brown graduates.

"Tunji is already athletic, he just has to get stronger," Brown said. "He's going to be a great player. He's always bugging me 'Elton, Elton, show me some of your moves,' and I teach him a little bit. I think that his development is going to be a real key for the future of Virginia."

Soroye relishes the opportunity to learn from Brown.

"I've learned a lot," Soroye said. "Coming to the ACC is a new experience for me, and working with Elton has really helped me."

Sophomore Donte Minter can also play at the center position. Minter has shown flashes of potential, but his development has been slowed by a knee injury.

While none of these players can be expected to develop into the next Ralph Sampson, Brown serves as a model for how to mature into a productive and dominant player in the paint. And maybe after 20 years of Virginia players trying to be like Ralph Sampson, one of these men has what it takes to create a new legacy for future Virginia players to emulate.