Cavs struggle against 'Cuse's talented Greene
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
December 7, 2007

There are some college players who you only need to watch for a couple of minutes to realize that they won’t be around long. Soon they’ll be drawing seven-figure paychecks and living the NBA life.

Unfortunately, Virginia ran into one of them on Wednesday night.

Syracuse’s Donte Greene was everything that he was hyped up to be - and then some. The freshman’s 20 point, 10-rebound performance was a main cause of Virginia’s 70-68 home loss. It was only UVa’s second defeat in 22 games at John Paul Jones Arena.

Greene scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half. He also had three blocks and two steals in his 37 minutes of action.

“I wanted to try and get my teammates involved in the first half, try and get them going,” Greene said. “I know I can get myself off any time.

“But it’s important to get your teammates involved, to get the team rolling, and get everyone hyped up so in the second half you can crush them.”

At 6-foot-11, Green showed right from the outset why he will have NBA general managers salivating over him come June. Within the first 4 minutes of the game, the Baltimore native hit a jump hook in the lane, then hit a 3-pointer.

“It was a very difficult matchup,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, whose team hosts Longwood tonight at 7. “He is long, with a touch. He can play inside or outside. It was a tough matchup for anybody. We were at a disadvantage size-wise, length-wise. Usually with a smaller or a quicker guy, you can keep him from penetrating, but he uses his length to get to spots and shoots over you.

“He’s intelligent and he had a good rhythm…when we collapsed and were a little slow to our rotations, we were 4 or 5 feet late.”

Not having Jamil Tucker available hurt Virginia. The 6-foot-8 sophomore, who missed the game with the flu, may have been able to bother Greene with his size.

In the second half, Greene showed uncanny athleticism. With less than 6 minutes remaining, he jumped a passing lane and went in for a thunderous one-hand dunk to pull Syracuse to within a point at 61-60.

On the next possession, Greene drained a 3-pointer to give the Orange the lead for good.

With just over a minute to play, Green converted the biggest basket of the game. As the shotclock was running down, he calmly backed Virginia senior Adrian Joseph into the paint and scored on a jump hook.

“He has me by almost five inches,” Joseph said, “so it was kind of tough to block his shot.”

Joseph was inserted into the game for Will Harris just before Greene’s huge bucket.

“It didn’t matter who was in the game,” said Leitao, when asked about the substitution. “Our four-men were smaller. That post was going to come regardless.”

With Longwood coming in for yet another visit tonight (it’s the school’s third visit in three years), freshman Mike Scott sounded confident that Virginia will get back on track.

“After the loss to Seton Hall, we bounced back,” Scott said. “We’re planning on doing the same thing.”

Dunks

Against Syracuse, Virginia was outrebounded for the first time all season (39-36). …Joseph had his third double-double of the season, 19 points and 13 rebounds…Harris scored a career-high seven points. …Freshman Sammy Zeglinski hit his first career 3-pointer.

 

Longwood, UVa both benefit from matchup
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com
December 7, 2007

Moving a basketball program to Division I status while trying to win games against a tougher class of opponents can be a tricky business that requires hard work, patience and a little luck.

Longwood, tonight’s Rent-A-Victim opponent for Virginia, is experiencing those growing pains. While the Lancers have been operating under Division I rules since 2004, they are now officially competing this season as one of three new DI schools (UC Davis and Northern Colorado are the others).

An example of just how challenging the move can be, consider the record those three schools have compiled over the past three seasons: Longwood (20-72, .217); UC Davis (24-60, .286); and N. Colorado (17-69, .198).

Complicating the matter for the Lancers is the fact that they’re competing without a conference affiliation. They are one of 10 independents in DI basketball.

But give Longwood credit. Coach Mike Gillian, a former assistant to George Mason’s Jim Larranaga, is working toward building a competitive program in his fifth year at the Farmville school.

Getting the exposure

Part of the process is spreading the name, which requires playing higher profile opponents. Programs from the larger conferences, such as Virginia, play a certain number of games against opponents like Longwood on an annual basis.

There’s a lot of win-win ingredients in the formula for both Virginia and Longwood. The only bad part for the Lancers in the previous two meetings turned out to be lopsided losses. The only risk for Virginia is that a loss to the Lancers would look really bad on the Cavaliers’ NCAA resume.

As Longwood director of athletics Troy Austin points out, playing Virginia has plenty of benefits. The exposure is good for the Lancers’ program. It’s a short trip, about an hour and 15-minute bus ride, which doesn’t require an overnight stay and cuts the expenses.

In addition the Longwood players derive the excitement of playing an ACC opponent, and then there’s the payday.

Counting the cash

Naturally, one of the reasons schools like Longwood like to play schools like Virginia has a financial side, but perhaps not as much as you would think.

Virginia said it would pay Longwood a guarantee of $50,000 for tonight’s game, which won’t hurt the Lancers’ athletic department coffers.

Gillian said that there’s a big misconception among the basketball public about paydays for such games.

“This may sound strange, but in terms of fiscal responsibility, Virginia has to have a certain number of guaranteed games, and if we can take a little bit less to go to Virginia in order to help them meet the fiscal responsibility of what they have to pay out to six or seven opponents, then in one sense we’re helping them out,” Gillian explained. “We don’t need as much from them because it costs us less to go there.”

He noted that if he wanted to hold out and tell Virginia or a similar regional school that he needed 30 or 50 percent more of a guarantee to make the trip, that, yep, he could probably get it ... once.

“But guess what? You’re never going to be going back there to play again,” Gillian said.

Many of the high profile programs, take Duke for example, don’t have to pay huge sums to attract a certain number of guaranteed games each season.

“Everybody wants to go there and places like that,” Gillian said. “The line of schools waiting to go play at Duke is so long you can’t imagine.”

There are big schools that will offer the big bucks in order to lure them into their lairs. Big 12 schools, which may have difficulty scheduling enough home games, have enough resources to pay larger guarantees.

“You can probably get 50 percent more just by going to play there,” Gillian said.

He’d rather take advantage of the benefits of playing a game at Virginia and that makes perfect sense.

Austin pointed out that 70 to 80 percent of Longwood’s 4,600-student population hails from the state of Virginia and Charlottesville is one of his school’s largest alumni areas.

“It has been one of our best attended away games that we have,” Austin said of Longwood’s two previous basketball trips to UVa.

Gillian said the series with Virginia has been important to his program and he’s appreciative that the ACC school has scheduled the Lancers.

“The kingpin of college basketball in the state of Virginia is the University of Virginia,” Gillian said. “In my mind, it always will be. Trying to put together a Division I program, to have an opportunity to get on the court with those guys is extremely important.”

Cavaliers dominating

So far, the kingpins have bludgeoned their upstart neighbors. Two years ago, UVa won 91-56. Last year it was 90-49, games that Gillian won’t soon forget.

“Two years ago, our best players were hurt and couldn’t play and last year, during an ice storm, before you knew it, the score was 22-2. Sean [Singletary] and J.R. [Reynolds] made their first 10 shots,” the Longwood coach said.

He’s hoping that at some point and time, things will fall into place for his Lancers, enough so that they can give Virginia a close game. Longwood will bring a 2-8 record into tonight’s game.

While keeping it close is Gillian’s concern, Austin knows that just playing Virginia is publicity his school can’t buy.

“The reality of it is that the majority of media attention and the perception of a university is tied into what level of college athletics that it plays,” Austin said. “Athletics is the front door of a university. It’s one of the higher profile departments on campus and one of the quicker ways to raise a university’s profile.

“Let’s not discount academics, but Division I athletics is a vehicle that speeds up that notoriety with brand awareness,” Austin said.

Spoken like a true AD. But he speaks the truth. An exciting game against a name opponent generates more positive waves through an alumni base than a history department award or a whole mess of science department projects. That’s just the world we live in.

Going DI has already raised the school spirit around Longwood. Austin sees it and hears it on a daily basis.

“There’s excitement when Longwood’s name scrolls across the ESPN scores line at the bottom of the TV screen,” Austin said. “I’ve gotten calls from friends in New Jersey that have seen that score go across and called about the game. There’s a positive buzz about the move.”

Now, it’s Gillian’s job to make sure that Longwood’s name runs at the front of those scores.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Friday, Dec 07, 2007 - 12:06 AM

Talking trash
Syracuse freshmen Jonny Flynn and Donte Greene caught U.Va. basketball star Sean Singletary on an off night Wednesday, and they didn't hesitate to needle him.

"He was definitely frustrated on the free-throw line, talking to us, not being able to hit free throws," said Greene, a 6-11 forward who had 20 points and 10 rebounds.

"He was frustrated the whole night, I think."

Singletary, a senior point guard who has twice made the all-ACC first team, missed 11 of 14 shots from the floor and 6 of 8 free throws in Virginia's 70-68 loss at John Paul Jones Arena.

Down the stretch, Green said, he and Flynn told Singletary, "Keep missing, Sean. Keep missing."

Poor decisions hurt Cavaliers
Flu-like symptoms bothered Singletary on Wednesday night. So did the Orange's 2-3 zone.

"We just wanted Singletary not to get in a rhythm where he could get going," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "We wanted to keep somebody near him all the time, and I think that was a big key in the game."

In its previous game, against a Northwestern team that stayed in a 1-3-1 throughout, U.Va. had made 16 of 32 shots from 3-point range. The Cavaliers were 11 for 32 from beyond the arc Wednesday night, in part they failed to attack the Orange's zone.

"There were a lot of possessions that we settled, especially early in the game, we just settled for a shot," Coach Dave Leitao said. "Instead of being a 20-, 22-footer, it ended up being a 25-footer, which is longer than we normally take."

Virginia (6-2) hosts Longwood (2-8) tonight at the JPJ. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

Shrinking role
Leitao continues to start Ryan Pettinella at center, but the 6-9, 249-pound senior spends more time watching than playing.

Pettinella has played more than 17 minutes in only one of U.Va.'s eight games. He played nine in the opener against Vermont and three against Syracuse.

For the season, he's averaging 1.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.3 minutes. A 24.3-percent free-throw shooter in 2006-07, Pettinella has been worse from the line this season. He's made only 1 of his 10 free throws.

Long looks up to Dudley
Even before he met Bill Dudley, U.Va. football star Chris Long said, he knew "of his legacy and, obviously, his playing career."

At last year's Dudley Award banquet in Richmond, Long got to spend some time with Dudley, the former Virginia great who nows live in Lynchburg.

"He's an even better person than he was a player," Long said yesterday. "I can tell just by talking to him. Just his energy, his passion for everybody there and the fact that he takes the time to talk to you. He's supportive of the event, he's supportive of the game. He's a great, great man."

Long, a senior defensive end, last night was named the Dudley winner for 2007.

New role for Ogletree
In the practices leading up to U.Va.'s Nov. 24 game with Virginia Tech, wide receiver Kevin Ogletree worked at quarterback. Of the Virginia players available for scout-team duty, Ogletree was the closest thing to Tech's uber-athletic quarterback, Tyrod Taylor.

As Virginia prepares for its Gator Bowl date with Texas Tech, the 6-2, 190-pound Ogletree is back at his customary position.

"I'm sure he already has his sights on being Michael Crabtree," Cavaliers coach Al Groh said.

Crabtree, the Red Raiders' star receiver, has 125 catches for 1,861 yards and 21 touchdowns in a pass-first offense.

Ogletree, U.Va.'s top receiver in 2006, had surgery in early April to repair his left knee. He's taking a medical redshirt this season, but he's running well enough to contribute in practice.

"He will have a lot of fun for a couple weeks," Groh said. "He will probably be politicking at the conclusion of his task for us to switch the offense." -- Jeff White

 

Long shot was definitely not a sure thing for Virginia, Syracuse
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 6, 2007
Last updated: 5:27 PM
CHARLOTTESVILLE

THERE WAS A CARNIVAL atmosphere to Wednesday night's basketball game between Syracuse and Virginia that had nothing to do with the lively crowd or the earsplitting noise piped through the PA system.

With both teams hoisting up a glut of prayerful parabolas - led by U.Va.'s 32 3-point attempts - you half expected a guy in baggy pants and a straw hat to walk to center court and bark, "Three shots for a quarter."

After Syracuse won the shotfest, 70-68, somebody should have given Jim Boeheim's team a stuffed teddy bear.

"That's why I've been pushing for years to move the line back," Boeheim said after the teams combined for 53 3-pointers. "There are way too many 3 s in the game today."

There have been for years. Next season, the 3-point line in college hoops will be moved back a foot from its current distance of 19 feet, 9 inches. It's way past time that happened.

At the John Paul Jones Arena, Syracuse shot fewer 3 s (21) and made a higher percentage than U.Va. But afterward, Boeheim shrugged and said, "I hate the 3-point shot anyway."

U.Va. had to hate the way it missed 11 of 15 trey attempts in the second half. Dave Leitao's Cavaliers came into the game averaging 24 3-point attempts per game, tops for ACC teams. They had been converting at a 44 percent clip - good for 10.57 per game - before dropping to 34 percent against Syracuse's bothersome 2-3 zone.

Too often, U.Va. played catch with the ball on the perimeter before trying to beat the shot clock with a long-range jumper. At times in the second half, a Cavalier would stand flatfooted with the ball, look up at the clock and with an almost resigned air, launch a shot.

Clank.

"They had very few open looks," Boeheim said, "and the ones they had, they took so long to get, it put pressure on the shooter."

Leitao agreed: "What happens is, you start settling for a shot. Instead of a 20, 22-footer, it's a 25-footer."

Syracuse's zone made U.Va.'s offense look disoriented on occasion as the visitors overcame a seven-point halftime deficit.

Not that one awful half will dissuade U.Va. from heaving up the 3. Its offense, after all, is a donut - there's nothing in the middle.

"They just don't have that inside guy," Boeheim said.

Which makes the 3-pointer all the more irresistible for the Cavaliers. They need it. They like it. They can't live without it. But on some nights -especially away from home - all that firing from the hip is going to bring U.Va. crashing down.

There's a crowd-pleasing element to the 3-pointer, especially when it enables the home team to charge from behind. But after so many years of college kids tossing up imprudent shots, it's hard to calculate the subtle damage the 3 has brought to the game.

If nothing else, it's robbed the sport of imagination. If the 3-pointer is everybody's quick fix, is it any surprise that young players don't bother to work on a more diverse offensive repertoire?

The 15-foot jump shot. The pick-and-roll. They've become endangered aspects of the game.

"It used to be," Boeheim said, "a team had one or two guys who shot the 3. But Virginia had four guys on the court who took 3-point shots."

Maybe moving the line back will help initiate a slow evolution toward well-rounded perimeter players.

Or maybe not.

Said Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn, who missed six of his eight 3-pointers, "Most guys shoot from a foot behind the line as it is."

They shoot, yes. But how many make?

Bob Molinaro

No guarantees for Cavs unless much goes right
Thursday, Dec 06, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 09:17 AM
By BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

CHARLOTTESVILLE They could've won this game. They could've lost it, too, and they did. Virginia's Cavaliers don't have the widest margin of error in the valley, and they were playing a legitimate opponent, not a patsy. So they fell at home last night to Syracuse 70-68. Like I said, they're not worldbeaters. These things happen. They're 6-2. Things could be better. Things could be worse.

This was an evening on which Sean Singletary was mortal, something U.Va. can't afford against a Syracuse. He missed 11 of 14 shots, including his last five. He also was 2 for 8 from the foul line -- this for an 85-percent career deadeye who'd clanged only three of 48 tries this year.

He finished with 10 points, nine assists and five rebounds. For a lot of teams, that's a nice line from your point guard. For U.Va., it wasn't enough.

"From start to finish, he never really had any game rhythm," coach Dave Leitao said. "It affected him in a lot of different ways. But there's nothing he can do that can draw criticism from me. He's our guy."

The Cavs' other guys couldn't quite compensate. The offense sagged to 38-percent misery after intermission. Syracuse exposed the defense inside over the same 20 minutes and then went beyond the arc for the jumpers that tilted the lead to the Orange for good.

U.Va. trailed for the closing five minutes, was given a few openings, couldn't cash in. For an NCAA-tournament hopeful playing at home, that's not the greatest sign.

The Cavs' summary to date? They beat an Arizona squad that's terminally overvalued and lost to a Seton Hall entry that's seemed terminally droopy for years but might be reviving. Their spankings of Howards, Drexels and Northwesterns are inconsequential.

Now they've lost to Syracuse, which has two NCAA wins in four years since Carmelo Anthony and was picked fifth in the Big East.

It's tough to predict, in other words, how these Cavs will do when they wade into their ACC schedule Jan. 13 at Duke. They're probably not as good as the Blue Devils. They're probably not as good as North Carolina. We don't exactly know about Clemson or Miami or Boston College or Florida State or N.C. State, except to suspect the Wolfpack has more chemistry issues than the BALCO lab.

We do know the Cavs don't have to go to Chapel Hill -- or Clemson or Raleigh, either -- and they get a return visit from Duke in March. It's a workable itinerary. You won't hear Dave Leitao barking at John Swofford for getting dealt a lousy hand by the league office.

Leitao did blister some of his players for various lapses and criticized them en masse for lofting too many 3-pointers -- of 64 attempts, 32 were from beyond the arc -- against Syracuse's 2-3 zone.

"I thought there were a lot of possessions where we settled," he said. "We did not drive the gaps. We did not seek to get the ball closer inside 15 feet. We did not make post moves."

This maybe presupposes a couple of dribble-drive artistes other than Singletary (J.R. Reynolds has left the building) and a trustworthy wide-body on the blocks, but the Cavs are a tad shy in both areas.

They're not a set piece. They'll scrap and defend some and they can get hot. But they don't have a low-post game to speak of. They have a tendency to leave their feet while on the move and hope for an improv conversion. They can be attacked inside. They hoist a bunch of shots from long range and need a bunch of 'em to fall if they're to prosper.

They have one dynamic player and a lot interchangeable parts.

Whether those parts amount to parts-is-parts or parts-is-whole, we'll begin to learn in a month or so.

 

Cavs look to bounce back tonight
After two-point loss to Syracuse, Virginia seeks win over Longwood
Anders Sleight, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

After a deflating loss to Syracuse on Wednesday, the Virginia men's basketball team will look to get back on track tonight as it hosts the Longwood Lancers at 7 p.m.

Fortunately for Virginia, Longwood does not have a historically great basketball team, and after recently moving into Division I, it has gone through expected growing pains. The Lancers currently have a record of 2-8 and have suffered lopsided defeats to Liberty, Indiana and Kent State. Indiana easily dispatched Longwood 100-49 in mid-November in Bloomington, Ind., which could bode well for the Cavaliers.

Tonight's match-up will certainly lack the energy and passion that was on display Wednesday night. Senior guard Sean Singletary, senior forward Adrian Joseph and junior forward Mamadi Diane all brought an energized John Paul Jones Arena to its feet time and again as all three players hit big shots throughout the game. In the end, however, Virginia's efforts were not enough. Syracuse used its patented 2-3 zone to shut down Virginia's perimeter shooters. Singletary, in particular, had an off game as he was held to only 10 points on 3-14 shooting. Singletary, who is normally a great free-throw shooter, made only 2-8 free throws on the night, which may have cost Virginia the game.

"We wanted to keep someone near Singletary all the time," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "I thought we did a good job of defending and we just got to their shooters."

Tonight's match-up should be less of a test for Virginia. As is usually the case in sports, however, nothing is guaranteed, and Virginia will need to come out ready to play without lingering memories of Wednesday's loss. Virginia must be careful not to play down to the level of Longwood -- a letdown can be common for teams playing against obviously less-talented squads. Longwood, however, does boast one dangerous scorer. The Lancers are led by 6-foot-6 junior forward Kirk Williams who averages 18 points per game.

Virginia will be looking forward to tonight's game in order to get itself back on track. Singletary's shooting woes against Syracuse were mirrored by the rest of the team. Freshman guard Jeff Jones struggled to find his shot and wound up with only four points. As a team, Virginia was limited to 40-percent shooting from the field and 34-percent shooting from three-point range. Both numbers are below Virginia's season averages. Additionally, Virginia only made 45 percent of its free-throws, which have been a source of pride for Virginia basketball over the years.

But Wednesday's struggles should not overshadow Virginia's recent success. The Cavaliers defeated a ranked squad in Arizona last month and hold a record of 6-2.

Still, after an eight-day break, Virginia, and particularly Singletary, looked out of rhythm against Syracuse.

"Start to finish [Sean] didn't really have any game rhythm," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said.

Tonight's game against Longwood should provide the Cavaliers with a springboard to end the semester on a high note and restore the team's rhythm.

 

Chris Long leaves no doubt
U.Va. defensive end is unanimous choice for state's top award
Friday, Dec 07, 2007 - 12:06 AM Updated: 04:09 AM

PAST DUDLEY WINNERS
1990: Shawn Moore, QB, Virginia

1991: Matt Blundin, QB, Virginia

1992: Cary Perkins, WR, Emory & Henry

1993: Jim Pyne, C, Virginia Tech

1994: Mike Frederick, DE, Virginia

1995: Cornell Brown, DE, Virginia Tech

1996: Tiki Barber, RB, Virginia

1997: Anthony Poindexter, S, Virginia

1998: Marc Megna, DT, Richmond

1999: Corey Moore, DE, Virginia Tech

2000: Lee Suggs, RB, Virginia Tech

2001: Billy McMullen, WR, Virginia

2002: Lee Suggs, RB, Virginia Tech

2003: Kevin Jones, RB, Virginia Tech

2004: Bryan Randall, QB, Virginia Tech

2005: Darryl Tapp, DE, Virginia Tech

2006: Vince Hall, LB, Virginia Tech

By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Chris Long joined an elite club last night.

Long, the All-America defensive end from the University of Virginia, became only the third unanimous winner of the Dudley Award, which is given annually to the state's top college football player.

The first was U.Va. quarterback Shawn Moore in 1990, the first year the award was handed out. The second, in 2000, was Virginia Tech tailback Lee Suggs, who also won the Dudley in 2002.

Hampden-Sydney College wide receiver Drew Smith, a graduate of Mills Godwin High, was named the state's top player in the Division II/III/NAIA category last night.

Ra'Shad Morgan, who won that award in 2006, was third this year, behind Smith and Virginia Union junior quarterback Lamar Little. Morgan, a Meadowbrook High graduate, is a senior tailback at the University of Virginia's College at Wise.

Long, a 6-4, 279-pound senior from Ivy, outside of Charlottesville, did not attend last night's Dudley banquet at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. He had a good excuse. Long was in Orlando, Fla., with many of the nation's other top players, for ESPN's college football awards show.

"I have to be down here at this ESPN deal," Long said by phone from Orlando, "but to me, [the Dudley] means a lot, because I'm somebody who values understanding where you came from and representing the people around you and the community, and I just hope to do that the best I can.

"I love the state of Virginia, I love Charlottesville, I love the University of Virginia. So I'm very proud to accept in representing all those people."

The Dudley Award is named for former U.Va. great "Bullet" Bill Dudley. The Division II/III/NAIA award was added in 2004.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch sponsors the awards, whose winners are determined in voting by a panel of 15 sports writers and broadcasters from across the state.

Long, the Dudley runner-up last year, totaled the maximum of 75 points this time. Second, with 23 points, was University of Richmond tailback Tim Hightower, who like Long could not attend the banquet.

Hightower is in Boone, N.C., where UR meets Appalachian State in a Division I-AA semifinal tonight.

Virginia Tech's all-ACC linebacker, senior Xavier Adibi, was third with 22 points. Tech, the ACC champion, had no shortage of potential Dudley candidates, but each school is allowed to nominate only one player.

Adibi's teammates include senior linebacker Vince Hall, who won the Dudley last year but missed several games with an injury this season.

Already this week, Long, the ACC defensive player of the year, had received the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end. He's the first player from a school other than Tech to win the Dudley since U.Va. wideout Billy McMullen in 2001.

"It means a lot," said Long, the oldest of Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long's three sons. "I know Tech has won the trophy a couple years, and we're just trying to do a little something over at the University of Virginia. Hopefully somebody will be able to represent our university next year and be blessed enough to accept the award in the name of such a great guy."

Long is a graduate of St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville. For a U.Va. team that will take a 9-3 record into its Gator Bowl matchup with Texas Tech, he has an ACC-best 14 sacks, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one blocked kick and one interception, on which he had a 25-yard return.

Smith, a 6-3, 215-pound senior, holds numerous records at Hampden-Sydney, including most catches in a game (15), most touchdown receptions in a game (four), most catches in a season (102), most receiving yards in a season (1,460) and most receiving yards in a career (4,088).

He started all 40 games in his college career. Smith holds Old Dominion Athletic Conference records for touchdown catches in a game and consecutive games with a reception (40).

Seventy-three of his 102 catches this season went for a first down or touchdown.

 

Tech-UVa activities, outcome don't sit well with ex-Cav star
Time for new attitude, McDaniel says
By Doug Doughty

Only a few weeks have elapsed since the Virginia-Virginia Tech football game, but the Hokies will have to start working if they want to surpass the display of brotherhood Nov. 24 in Charlottesville.

Now might be a good time to pick out a site in Blacksburg for the much-anticipated monument to John Casteen.

I’ll stick by my contention that nobody had more to do with Virginia Tech’s addition to the ACC than Casteen, the UVa president, not that I’m knocking a decision that was based on more than athletics. In my opinion, Tech has been a much better fit than Miami; or, at least, has had a better football team.

I can also see how some Virginia fans might not have favored a move that would help their biggest rival, and I know that many of them were disturbed by pregame and halftime activities Nov. 24 that included the presentation of a bronze football to ex-Hokies’ star Bruce Smith.

It made me think of former Virginia linebacker Charles McDaniel, who traded barbs with Smith for weeks prior to one of the Tech-UVa games in the mid-1980s. It was McDaniel whose huge image was turned into a “Wanted” poster on the front page of The Roanoke Times.

McDaniel has mellowed a bit in the past 20 years – surprise, surprise – but here’s a guy who once said that he would speed up in traffic if he saw a Tech bumper sticker in front of him.

What must McDaniel have been thinking when he saw Smith out at midfield?

“With age, you hope to mature and you hope to maybe think a little more before saying some things,” McDaniel said. “I didn’t think it was appropriate but I wasn’t up in our suite raising hell about it.”

Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage has said that part of the planning had to do with Commonwealth Day, the first after the April 16 shootings in Blacksburg.

“It was supposed to be a special day for the commonwealth,” said McDaniel, who held UVa’s career tackles record for 11 years and still ranks second behind Jamie Sharper (435-432).

“For guys like me, for whom the game means a hell of a lot [and] who have some real, raw feelings over a number of things … you wouldn’t see that at Texas-Texas A&M or with some of these other rivalries.”

UVa officials scaled back the pregame “Cavman” cartoon in which an animated Cavalier on a horse obliterates the opposing team’s mascot. That would have been inappropriate, given events of the past year. McDaniel agreed.

“Let’s let 2007 be over with,” McDaniel said. “Hopefully, there are people moving on. I don’t know you ever move on if your family was effected. [The Cavman] decision was a touch of class.”

McDaniel, who is prominent in the Virginia Athletics Foundation, was not aware of activities that included the unfurling of a sideline to-sideline Virginia map with Charlottesville and Blacksburg highlighted. There was another mesh “Virginia Pride” banner behind one of the goalposts.

One thing is for certain. This was not a UVa football operation. It probably had little to do with the athletic department. It came from a higher source.

McDaniel cites the 1995 book “ ‘Hoos and Hokies,” co-written bv yours truly and Roland Lazenby, as an indication of the hatred that is felt for the University of Virginia in some quarters.

“It stems from a lot of different things,” he said. “It stems from a lot of people throughout the state, particularly northern Virginia, that probably should get into a state school and they’ve got damned good grades and SAT.

“There’s something wrong with that. I think we take this ‘public Ivy’ and being the best public institution [too far]. It causes a hatred that we don’t appreciate and understand.”

Tech has won eight of the last nine football games between the teams, including six of seven during Al Groh’s tenure as coach.

“I think the rivalry, unfortunately, has become more one-sided in favor of Tech,” McDaniel said. “Their support of the rivalry and their hatred for Virginia is alive and well.

“I think ours, for some people, has subsided to the point where it’s not healthy. It’s not OK to lose that game. I don’t accept us being second-tier in the state. That’s where we are right now and we’ve got to do something about it.”

That doesn’t mean recruiting one player – UVa’s current count – from Virginia.

“I don’t like that we don’t have more kids from state,” McDaniel said. “That really bothers me.

“When you play this game, you look at who steps up and it’s Virginia boys that want to kick the other team’s a--, and they’re more of them on Virginia Tech than there are at Virginia.”