Prince to take over for Kansas State
Golden still thinking over Temple's offer
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
December 4, 2005

In a matter of days, it might be easier for Virginia football coach Al Groh to name the assistants that remain and not those that left in December.

Why? That second list might be too long.

Former associate head coach Danny Rocco was named the head coach at Liberty University on Friday, offensive coordinator Ron Prince accepted the same position at Kansas State University on Friday and defensive coordinator Al Golden was offered the head-coaching vacancy at Temple University on Saturday. Sources said Saturday evening that Golden is mulling over his decision and is not expected to decide until Monday or Tuesday.

Like dominos, several other assistant coaches might also be on the move.

If Golden takes the Temple job he would likely take inside-linebackers coach Mark D'Onofrio with him, and Prince may offer a position on his staff to defensive line coach Levern Belin. Graduate assistant Chad Wilt has been offered a job on Liberty's coaching staff and may get the same type of offer from Golden according to sources close to the situation.

Prince, 36, met with Virginia's football players prior to practice on Saturday to tell them that he was going to replace longtime coach Bill Snyder at Kansas State according to sources. Prince, who did not respond to emails, was said to have started cleaning out his office at the McCue Center on Friday.

It has been reported that Prince will be announced as the next coach at Kansas State on Monday after he meets with the returning members of the Wildcats' football team.

Prince, a native of Kansas, coached at Virginia for the past five seasons, three of which he was the offensive coordinator.

Several published reports on Saturday said that Golden, 36, was offered the Temple job and was weighing his decision. Temple finished 0-11 this season, competing as an independent. They will join the Mid-American Conference in 2007.

Golden, who played at Penn State for legendary coach Joe Paterno, has been at UVa since joining Groh's original staff five years ago.

To fill Prince's vacancy at offensive coordinator, It is expected that Groh will promote his son, Mike, from quarterbacks coach. Mike Groh, who has also coached wide receivers (2001-2002) at UVa, has spent the last season as the program's recruiting coordinator.

On Friday, Rocco said he told Mike Groh after last year's bowl game, a loss to Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho, that he was pleased with his development as a coach.

"Mike was picking my brain and getting some ideas and I commented to him ' Mike, you have really, really worked hard to make yourself a good coach. I know you're working hard to try to put yourself in a position to have a great career as a college football coach,'" Rocco recounted. "I have seen him mature and I have enjoyed watching that happen over the last several years.

"He is on track."

Rocco said Mike Groh deserves credit for helping in the development of quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Marques Hagans.

"I think he has put himself in a position, where his track record now speaks for itself," Rocco said. "He had a great year with Matt Schaub at the tail end of Matt's career, his senior year, and was able to do a great job with 'Biscuit', with the numbers that he was able to put up. It speaks for itself.

"His players have performed well for us and he puts a lot of time, a lot of energy and a lot of himself into the job."

 

Cavaliers open at Georgia Tech
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
December 4, 2005

ATLANTA - Frazier. DeBusschere. Reed. Monroe. Bradley.
Those were the players Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt watched as a kid growing up in New York City - and that explains the basketball philosophy he has always subscribed to.

"When you're playing good team [basketball], it's a great thing to watch - seeing the ball moving, guys taking open shots, and guys being genuinely happy for their teammates' success," said Hewitt, referring to how the Knicks' NBA Championship teams of the early 1970s played.

This past summer, Hewitt was reportedly contacted by Knicks team president Isiah Thomas when he was searching for a new head coach. The way Hewitt's teams have performed since he took over in 2000, it's easy to see why.

The Yellow Jackets, who host the University of Virginia tonight in the teams' ACC opener at 5:30 p.m., have posted a 98-68 record and have made three trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a run to the championship game in 2004.

The turnaround should give UVa fans hope.

When Hewitt arrived, the state of the Yellow Jackets' program was similar to the Cavaliers' current state of affairs. Like UVa, Georgia Tech had some nice history, but had been on hiatus from the NCAA Tournament.

In his first season, Hewitt led his team to the Big Dance. However, he had a senior-laden squad - as opposed to the senior-barren team Leitao has taken over.

"I was lucky to have inherited a group of guys who would have done anything to get to the NCAA Tournament," Hewitt said.

Initially, that made Hewitt's challenge easier than Leitao's.

"I didn't have to repeat myself as much," said Hewitt, with a laugh. "I'm sure Dave finds himself doing a lot of that, you know - run the floor, guard off the dribble, box out - just simple things that outside observers may take for granted, but has to become habit."

But this season, Hewitt can relate to Leitao. He lost six players from last year's team - including NBA first-round pick Jarret Jack - that went 20-12 before being eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Louisville. Hewitt's team starts four sophomores and a junior - and has just one senior on its roster.

In four games, the Yellow Jackets (2-2) have already experienced the highs and lows you'd expect from a young team. They lost by 22 at home to Illinois-Chicago on Nov. 25, then nearly upset No. 13 Michigan State in East Lansing in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday (Zam Fredrick's 3-pointer at the buzzer would have given the Yellow Jackets the win, but was just off the mark).

Which Georgia Tech team will show up tonight against UVa?

"That's a fair [question]," Hewitt said. "I know what kind of team we have. It comes down to us playing hard on the defensive end and rebounding the ball. It's pretty simple."

Against the Spartans, Hewitt said his team played with more energy than it had at any point in the season.

"Our guys were so afraid to get embarrassed out there that they really did the little things - making extra passes and setting screens instead of worrying about getting their individual games going," Hewitt said.

Leitao, who is friends with Hewitt - they've known each other since their days as assistant coaches in the Big East - said the Yellow Jackets pose some problems for his 3-1 squad that is coming off a 72-57 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday night.

"I think they're young like we're young and are trying to get experience on the fly like us," Leitao said. "They're athletic and have a very good low-post scorer in Ra'Sean Dickey. We have to be really concerned about that."

The Cavs' transition defense - which was a problem against Arizona, but seemed to improve against Northwestern - will need to be solid against the Yellow Jackets.

"They want to get up and down," Leitao said. "All but one of their games they've scored over 80 [points]. When you watch them on film, you can definitely see what they're trying to do - get quick and easy baskets for themselves and use their athleticism, so we have to be prepared for that."

DUNKS. The last time UVa and Georgia Tech played an ACC opener against each other was in the 1979-80 season. The Cavs won, 55-37. ? Georgia Tech has a 35-27 lead in the series. The Yellow Jackets have won 25 of the last 33 meetings, including

14 of the last 17. They defeated the Cavs 92-67 last season.

Look for the Cavs to use a lot of their 2-3 zone against the Yellow Jackets. Leitao said that was the defense used very successfully by Illinois-Chicago. ? Hewitt said he has always been impressed with Cavs point guard Sean Singletary. "The thing I love is how competitive he is," Hewitt said. "His first ACC game against Chris Paul, it turned into a very physical game and he didn't back down one step. When you see that in a freshman who is also talented, you know he's going to be a great player." ?

Leitao said he has talked to Singletary about his propensity for getting into early foul trouble. "I think where he gets into trouble is when he tries to go for steals," Leitao said. "I think if we can corral that, he'll foul less. We need to be able to say, 'Hey, if you're going to get [the steal] 100 percent, than go for it. Otherwise, I need you on the floor more than I need that steal." ?

In three games at University Hall (including one exhibition) this season, freshman wing Mamadi Diane has averaged 16.6 points. In two road games, the Dematha High product has averaged 3.5 points. Leitao said he's not sure if it's a coincidence. "Most guys have highs and lows in their first year," Leitao said. "I think we've seen some very good performances from him at home that make me believe that at some point he'll consistently be a very good player."
 

Road test for U.Va. today
Cavaliers open ACC play, look to reverse their traveling calls
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Dec 4, 2005

Strong at home, weak on the road. That was the scouting report on the University of Virginia in the Pete Gillen era, and that's a reputation the Cavaliers would like to change. They want to be good wherever they play.

Four games into Dave Leitao's tenure as U.Va.'s coach, the results have been mixed. The Cavaliers are 2-0 at University Hall and 1-1 on the road. They whipped Richmond 59-43 at the Robins Center - where the crowd included numerous Virginia fans - and then lost 81-51 at Arizona.

Leitao said he hoped his young team would learn from its experience in Tucson. He'll get some answers tonight in Atlanta, where U.Va. (3-1) opens ACC play against Georgia Tech (2-2). The Yellow Jackets have won nine of their past 10 meetings with the Cavaliers at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

"You really don't truly know until you get back out there, obviously," Leitao said. "We'll face another situation where a team goes on a run or something negative happens and the crowd is against you. At that point, we'll know if we've learned something."

For a half, U.Va. battled Arizona to a virtual draw. After intermission, however, the Wildcats pounced on Leitao's club, and the Cavaliers surrendered meekly.

Junior guard J.R. Reynolds said the game taught him that the Cavs "just can't give up. We've got to play for 40 minutes."

Neither point guard T.J. Bannister (sports hernia) nor power forward Donte Minter (knee) will play tonight, which means Virginia again will have only seven scholarship players available. None is a senior.

Georgia Tech is inexperienced, too. Jackets coach Paul Hewitt has been starting sophomore Zam Fredrick at point guard, sophomore Anthony Morrow and junior Mario West on the wings, sophomore Jeremis Smith at forward and sophomore Ra'Sean Dickey at center.

"They've trying to get experience on the fly like we are," Leitao said.

Virginia's rotation includes juniors Reynolds and Jason Cain (power forward), sophomores Tunji Soroye (center), Sean Singletary (point guard) and Adrian Joseph (swingman), and freshmen Mamadi Diane (swingman) and Laurynas Mikalauskas (power forward).

The Jackets won their first two games this season, beating UNC Asheville and Elon, before losing to Illinois-Chicago and, in last week's ACC/Big Ten Challenge, to Michigan State at East Lansing.

Dickey scored 24 points against the Spartans, and Morrow added a career-high 23. Smith, who missed 17 games in 2004-05 after dislocating his right kneecap, posted his first career double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds).

 

Still no official word on Prince
But reports say UVa's offensive coordinator could take over at K-State on Monday.
The Roanoke Times

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Family and friends of Virginia's Ron Prince waited nervously Saturday for official confirmation that he had been hired to replace Bill Snyder as head football coach at Kansas State.

Several outlets, including ESPN, The Wichita Eagle, Kansas City Star and Gopowercat.com reported that Prince was Kansas State's choice. A Kansas State plane flew the Virginia offensive coordinator into Topeka last week.

A Kansas State player told reporters he had been told there would be a news conference to announce the new coach on Monday. But Tim Weiser, Kansas State athletic director, refused to confirm or deny anyone had been offered the job.

"It's part of the search," Weiser said Friday. "It serves no purpose to us to comment until we have a conclusion to it."

Ron Hill, Prince's high school coach in Junction City, Kan., said he e-mailed his former lineman Friday night and got a response Saturday morning.

"He said he can't comment on anything," Hill said. "He doesn't feel he can talk about it."

Prince, 36, could account for one of three potential vacancies on Virginia coach Al Groh's staff. Associate head coach Danny Rocco was hired Friday as Liberty's coach, and ESPN is reporting Temple has offered its head coaching job to defensive coordinator Al Golden.

Although he is a native of Kansas and played football at Dodge City Community College, Prince's hiring would not necessarily please a great many fans.

For one thing, he does not have any direct Kansas State ties, which Snyder had said would be important. For another, he has no head coaching experience.

"I think he'll be really good," Hill said. "He's very intelligent. That's the thing I remember most."

Ernest Prince, who still lives in Junction City, hadn't heard any details from his son. "Until I get word from him, I shouldn't comment on anything," he said.

The honeymoon period is likely to be short for anyone chosen to guide the program Snyder took over in 1989. The losingest major college program in football history, Snyder came from Iowa and built the Wildcats into a power and went to 11 straight bowl games between 1993-2003.

After playing at Dodge City, Prince finished his career as an offensive lineman at Appalachian State. He has been at Virginia for five years, the last three as offensive coordinator.

Prince coached at Cornell, James Madison, South Carolina State and Alabama A&M before joining the staff at Virginia.

 

Hewitt believes in young team
By RANA L. CASH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/04/05

Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt won't back down. The Yellow Jackets do not at all resemble the Final Four team of two seasons ago or the second-round NCAA tournament team from last year. Yet, Hewitt says he believes this team, with all its baby faces, can follow the path laid by its predecessors.

"This team is capable of being a tournament-caliber team," Hewitt said.

First, though, this team has to make it through the ACC, starting with today's league opener against Virginia. Here's a look at what Tech (2-2) must do to find success in a league in which it was predicted to finish ninth:

• Feed the big man. Center Ra'Sean Dickey yelled out for a pass in a game against Elon. For Tech, it was a good sign. The Jackets have more scorers than in the past, but they often have the most productivity when the offense begins with Dickey, a 6-foot-9 post man with a wealth of moves on the block.

"I don't think we could have let No. 4 get any more shots," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said after Dickey got hot early in the second half of Wednesday's 88-86 loss.

Dickey converted 11 of his 16 attempts, finishing with a career-best 24 points.

• Point of emphasis. With each game, new point guard Zam Fredrick has shown steady improvement. He had 11 points and 10 assists against Michigan State, scoring when Tech needed it and finding his teammates for baskets.

Fredrick also had six turnovers — he has 18 in four games — but the mistakes and poor decisions are being minimized.

• Get tough. Anthony Morrow admitted that while laboring through a loss to Illinois-Chicago, he let his frustration get the best of him. Morrow fouled out and played a less-than-memorable game.

"That won't happen again," he said.

Learning to play through ups and downs will be key for a group of players unaccustomed to dealing with adversity. Hewitt knows he has competitors in Morrow and Jeremis Smith. The key, he said, is making sure they all learn to play through the shot clock defensively, stay patient on offense and remain strong in the pinch.

"Sometimes, when you're really talented, you can be a little cocky," Hewitt said. "Talent can be a deceiving thing. We have to play hard for each other. You can't just play hard because you're on television or your neighbors are coming to see you."