U.Va. coaching updates
Jeff White
Dec 16, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE –- While U.Va.‘s Al Groh is looking for a new offensive coordinator, the coach who formerly held that position, his son Mike, is looking for a new gig.

His next stop could be Towson University. Mike Groh, who turns 37 on Friday, interviewed recently for the head job at at the Colonial Athletic Association school, which competes in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision.

Towson fired Gordy Combs early this month. Combs compiled a 92-90 record in 17 seasons as the Tigers’ coach.

In addition to Mike Groh, Towson is interested in Connecticut offensive coordinator Rob Ambrose and former Buffalo coach Jim Hofher, among other candidates.

Ambrose, a former player and assistant coach at Towson, might be the school’s top choice to replace Combs. It’s not clear, though, if he’d leave the Football Bowl Subdivision to return to his alma mater.

Hofher, who also has been head coach at Cornell, coached the quarterbacks at Bowling Green this season. His boss at Bowling Green?

Gregg Brandon. Talk about the “lattice of coincidence,” as Miller puts it in the cinematic classic Repo Man. Brandon is a candidate to replace Mike Groh as offensive coordinator at U.Va. and, according to a report on CavsCorner.com, has been offered the job.

Brandon, 52, went 44-30 in six seasons after succeeding Urban Meyer – a good friend of Al Groh—as Bowling Green’s head coach. The Falcons finished 6-6 this season, after which Brandon was fired.

Before taking over at Bowling Green, Brandon was Meyer’s assistant head coach for two seasons at the Mid-American Conference school. He played for Gary Barnett in high school and later worked for him at Colorado. Brandon also has been an assistant at Northwestern, Weber State (where the head coach was Mike Price), Wyoming and Utah State.

Finally, an update on Latrell Scott, about whom I first wrote in February 1989, when he was a basketball standout at Stonewall Jackson Junior High in Mechanicsville.

Scott has gone on to bigger and better things, as they say. He starred in football at Lee-Davis High, Fork Union Military Academy and Hampton University before getting into coaching. He’s been an assistant at FUMA, Western Carolina, Virginia Military Institute and Richmond and currently coaches the wide receivers at Tennessee.

After hearing that U.Va. might be interested in Scott, I mentioned him in a notebook last week, and the two parties continue to move closer.

Scott, 33, works at a school that perennially has produced big-time football teams, but where exactly he fits into the plans of the Volunteers’ new coach, Lane Kiffin, is unclear. I have no doubt, though, that he’d would be a strong addition to Al Groh’s staff.

At UR, Scott’s colleagues included Wayne Lineburg, who’s now U.Va.‘s wide receivers coach. Scott is an excellent recruiter with contacts across Virginia, and his mentors include Dave Clawson, who recently was named head coach at—you guessed it—Bowling Green.

 

Brandon emerges in UVa’s search
By Jay Jenkins
Published: December 17, 2008

The most dominant coach over the past six years in the Mid-American Conference could remain decked out in orange for another year.

According to sources, Virginia coach Al Groh has placed former Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon at the top of his wish list to become the Cavaliers’ new offensive coordinator.

Despite boasting a contract through 2011, Brandon was fired from Bowling Green last month after leading the program to three bowl games and a 44-30 overall record.

The 52-year-old coach guided Bowling Green to a 6-6 record this season before the school’s administration announced that he would not be retained. Brandon was replaced by former University of Richmond coach and former Tennessee offensive coordinator Dave Clawson.

Before being named the head coach at Bowling Green, Brandon served as the program’s offensive coordinator, assistant head coach and running backs coach under former coach Urban Meyer, currently preparing for the BCS championship game with his Florida team.

In Brandon’s final season as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator, Bowling Green ranked third in the country in scoring, averaging over 40 points per game.

This season, Bowling Green ranked No. 49 in scoring offense and No. 61 in total offense and stunned Pittsburgh 27-17 in its season opener.

Brandon has also served as an assistant coach at Weber State (1981-1986), Wyoming (1987-1990), Utah State (1991), Northwestern (1992-1998) and Colorado (1999-2000). While at Colorado, Gregg worked under former coach Gary Barnett, who also served as the program’s coach from 2002 to 2006, during which time Virginia offensive line coach Dave Borbely was employed at the school.

If Brandon — who was reportedly bought out of his contract at Bowling Green for $250,000 — were to take over the play-calling duties of Virginia’s offense, where the coach would be slotted would be interesting. The Cavaliers currently need to hire a running backs coach and a quarterbacks coach, although wide receivers coach Wayne Lineburg could be asked to coach the running backs, as he did at Richmond before returning to his alma mater.

While Brandon has not coached quarterbacks directly, he served as the passing game coordinator at Colorado in 2000.

Virginia could also be closing in on hiring assistant coach Latrell Scott, who coached wide receivers under Clawson at Richmond (2005-2007) and Tennessee (2008). The Richmond native, who played at Hampton and coached at Fork Union and VMI, has direct ties to the Commonwealth and is regarded as an excellent recruiter.

The Cavaliers also have a vacancy at defensive line coach.

Brandon would replace Mike Groh, who “stepped down” earlier this month. Mike Groh could also be on the move — he interviewed Friday for over three hours in Fairfax to become the offensive coordinator at Towson.

 

Monroe earns 2nd-team All-America nod
Associated Press
Published: December 17, 2008

NEW YORK — Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis became a three-time AP All-American, joining Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and star receiver Michael Crabtree on the first team released Tuesday.

Among the other players to make the AP first team three times were San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk (1991-93), Pittsburgh offensive lineman Bill Fralic (1982-84), Georgia running back Herschel Walker (1980-82) and Pittsburgh defensive end Hugh Green (1978-80).

Virginia offensive tackle Eugene Monroe was a second-team selection, marking his third All-America nod this season. He was previously selected to the second team by Rivals.com and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Monroe is the seventh UVa player and fourth offensive lineman named to the AP All-America team under coach Al Groh. The other

selections were linemen Elton Brown (2004, 1st team), D’Brickashaw Ferguson (2005, 1st team) and Branden Albert (2007, 3rd team) and tight end Heath Miller (2004, 1st team), linebacker Ahmad Brooks (2004, 2nd team) and defensive end Chris Long (2007, 1st team).

Monroe was a first-team All-ACC selection and won the conference’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy.

Alabama put more players on the 2008 AP first team than any school, about 1,000 pounds of linemen. Offensive tackle Andre Smith, listed at 330 pounds, was a unanimous first-team choice and was joined by center Antoine Caldwell. Crimson Tide nose guard Terrence Cody, listed at 365 pounds, anchored the top-ranked defense in the Southeastern Conference.

Bradford beat out Texas’ Colt McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow in All-America voting that broke the same way as the Heisman balloting. McCoy, the Heisman runner-up, was the second-team quarterback. Tebow made the third team, a year after winning the Heisman and being a first-team AP All-American.

Laurinaitis and Crabtree, the Texas Tech receiver, were among five players to repeat as first-teamers.

Oklahoma guard Duke Robinson, Cincinnati punter Kevin Huber and Missouri receiver/kick returner Jeremy Maclin, who made it as an all-purpose player, were the others.

Two Big Ten running backs completed the All-America backfield. Iowa’s Shonn Greene is second in the country in rushing (144 yards per game) and has scored 17 touchdowns. Michigan State’s Javon Ringer is third in rushing (132 ypg) and has scored 21 touchdowns.

Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant was the other receiver. A sophomore like Crabtree, Bryant scored 20 touchdowns.

Rounding out the offensive line were Mississippi tackle Michael Oher and LSU guard Herman Johnson.

Chase Coffman, who led all tight ends with 83 catches, gave Missouri’s high-scoring offense two All-Americans.

Utah’s Louie Sakoda was the kicker. He booted 21 field goals in 23 attempts and scored 115 points for the undefeated Utes.

The defense featured Laurinaitis’ teammate, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, and two players from Southern California’s top-ranked unit: linebacker Rey Maualuga and safety Taylor Mays.

Florida’s Brandon Spikes was the other linebacker.

Up front, Aaron Maybin of Penn State and Brian Orakpo of Texas were the defensive ends, and Cody and Mississippi’s Peria Jerry were the tackles.

Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith and Tennessee safety Eric Berry completed the secondary.

Laurinaitis was recruited by the Buckeyes out of Minnesota, and came to Columbus with relatively modest goals considering where he ended up.

He wanted to make the travel squad as a freshman, start as a sophomore, receive some type of all-Big Ten recognition as a junior and be an All-American and Butkus Award candidate as a senior.

By the time his sophomore season was complete, he had accomplished all his goals.

Laurinaitis said having A.J. Hawk and fellow star linebacker Bobby Carpenter, both seniors when he was a freshman, to learn from had an enormous affect his career.

“You learned a lot about work ethic,” Laurinaitis said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “We’d go through a two-day [practice] and I’m looking to go to sleep and those guys were in the weight room working out. If it worked for them, I had to do it.”

When Carpenter and Hawk moved on to the NFL, Laurinaitis moved into the starting lineup in 2006. The son of a professional wrestler — Joe Laurinaitis was known as “Animal” from the WWE’s Legion of Doom — James drew plenty of attention for his play and his family ties.

He led the Buckeyes with 115 tackles and five interceptions and won the Nagurski Award as national defensive player of the year.

In 2007, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Laurinaitis won the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker and this season he capped his stellar three-year run with the Lott Trophy for top defensive player.

“I’m not the freak athlete other guys are,” Laurinaitis said, “but I’m the guy coaches can depend on to be accountable and know my assignments.”

Jones looks to get back on track
By Whitey Reid
Published: December 16, 2008

In high school, Jeff Jones broke the all-time scoring record in the famed Philadelphia Catholic League.
You can bet that he never had the letters DNP next to his name in the box score.
But that was the case in Virginia’s 66-56 loss at Minnesota on Dec. 2 when the UVa sophomore did not get into a game for the first time in his college career.
UVa coach Dave Leitao called it a “coach’s decision.”
“He’s been the Jeff that we’ve known. I just made the decision to go with a different lineup,” Leitao said on Monday.
In the season opener versus VMI, Jones was solid. His pair of 3-pointers late in the second half propelled Virginia to victory.
However, in his next four games — against USF, Radford, Liberty and Syracuse — Jones was just 7 of 28 from the field, including 4 of 17 from 3-point range.
That may have prompted the DNP versus Minnesota.
“It continues to be more than anything else a comfort level,” said Leitao, when asked about Jones’ struggles, “and those things that happen much more mentally than physically.”
Leitao, whose 3-3 team returns from a 15-day hiatus with a home game on Wednesday night against Longwood, said there is nothing mechanically wrong with Jones’ shot. In fact, Leitao said Jones’ jumpers frequently hit nothing but the bottom of the net — in practice.
“We’re trying to keep him in a place when games start that remind him as much of practice as it does games and keep it as simple as we possibly can,” Leitao said. “We’re trying to get Jeff mentally, more than physically, to stay in that frame of mind.”

Sene to get minutes
One player who Leitao seems more willing to let take his lumps is
freshman 7-footer Assane Sene. After not appearing in the first four games (the first three because of eligibility concerns), Sene has started the last two games.
Sene’s stats haven’t been anything notable, but Leitao believes the experience he’s receiving will eventually pay dividends.
“I don’t think we’ve been particularly hurt by having him out on the floor, particularly at the beginning of games,” Leitao said. “By virtue of what he’s done in practice — just his energy and his enthusiasm and passion that he brings — I think he’s earned the right to get the playing time that he’s been getting and hopefully will add more to it.
“It’s a work in progress. [He] will make his fair share of mistakes and hopefully there are lessons there as time goes on.”

Playing in pain?
Leitao admitted that Calvin Baker, who is playing with a stress fracture in his foot, may be laboring. The junior, who hasn’t played as well as he did last season, has nearly as many turnovers (18) as assists (20).
“That could be true,” Leitao said. “He misses practice time. When you have an injury and try and play through it, those things can occur, but we’re trying our best to work ourselves through it, as is he.”
Tunji Time?
Tunji Soroye returned to Virginia with the idea on putting an injury-riddled 2007-08 campaign in his rearview mirror —but so far that hasn’t happened.
The fifth-year senior has played in only one of the team’s last three games. Leitao says it’s once again been an assortment of physical problems.
“He has good days and bad days,” Leitao said. “Before the Minnesota game he was coming off a couple of down days in terms of his health. Hopefully this time off has helped him and given him more rhythm to his practices.”

 

U.VA. NOTES: Exams, break from action pose challenges
By Staff Reports
Published: December 16, 2008

Exams, break from action pose challenges
The Virginia men's basketball team hasn't played at home in more than three weeks. The Cavaliers haven't played anywhere since Dec. 2, when they lost at Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

A season ago, U.Va. went 12 days between games in December as Dave Leitao's players focused on final exams. This year, the break is 15 days. Virginia (3-3) returns to action tomorrow at 7 p.m. against Longwood (5-5) at John Paul Jones Arena.

"For everybody that has to go through finals, it's always a difficult time from a basketball standpoint," Leitao said yesterday. "Particularly at this university, it's a heavier burden. The fact that we have this many days off, it's equally difficult to keep a rhythm."

Jones struggling from deep in his second year
Jeff Jones closed last season by making six 3-pointers against Bradley, and he opened his sophomore season by hitting two late treys to help U.Va. beat Virginia Military Institute.

Overall, though, Jones is only 6 for 22 from beyond the arc this season, and the 6-4 shooting guard didn't play against Minnesota.

"It was a coach's decision," Leitao said.

Jones, who started 25 games as a freshman, has yet to start this season.

"I think it's only a matter of time before he really takes off," point guard Sammy Zeglinski said. "In practice, it's surprising when he misses a shot."

Scott struggling to put up consistent numbers
Mike Scott is averaging 10 points and a team-high 10.3 rebounds, but Leitao hasn't been sure to what expect from the 6-8 sophomore - or most other Cavaliers, for that matter - in each game.

Scott scored 26 points against VMI and zero against Minnesota. He grabbed 18 boards against VMI and five against Radford.

"It's about being consistent," Leitao said. "If you have a 10-point scorer, you'd kind of like for that guy to score 10 points every game as opposed to 20 one game and zero the next."

It hasn't helped Scott that U.Va.'s perimeter players often have neglected to work the ball inside.

Ex-assistant: Decision to 'step down' not his
U.Va. announced last week that three assistants - Mike Groh, Levern Belin and Steve Bernstein - would not return to football coach Al Groh's staff in 2009.

Belin, who coached the Cavaliers' defensive linemen for the past four seasons, reiterated yesterday that the decision that he "step down" was not his. Belin, 39, declined to elaborate but said his recent remarks to the Daily Progress accurately reflected his position.

"Just get the record straight . . . I did not step down, nor was I seeking other opportunities," Belin told the Charlottesville newspaper. "I love Charlottesville and U.Va."

Several hoops recruits to play in Richmond
More than a half-dozen U.Va. recruiting targets will be in Richmond on Jan. 31 for SlamFest VIII.

The event will consist of five boys basketball games at Benedictine High: Norfolk Christian vs. Henrico at 1:30 p.m., Miller vs. Christchurch at 3, Atlantic Shores vs. Deep Run at 4:30, DeMatha vs. John Marshall at 6 and Courtland vs. Benedictine at 7:30.

Eleventh-graders with scholarship offers from Leitao include JM's Travis McKie and Miller's Mychal Parker. Virginia also is following sophomores Michael Gbinije (Christchurch), James McAdoo (Norfolk Christian) and Trey Davis (Henrico) closely, as well as several DeMatha underclassmen.

Men's lacrosse to play UNC at Giants Stadium
In men's lacrosse, Virginia will face North Carolina on April 4 in the inaugural Big City Classic, a tripleheader sponsored by Inside Lacrosse magazine, at East Rutherford, N.J. In 2010, U.Va. and UNC will meet again at Giants Stadium.

Last season and again this year, Virginia played - and beat - Syracuse in another event sponsored by Inside Lacrosse: the Face-Off Classic in Baltimore.

UNC was scheduled to play at Klockner Stadium next season, and U.Va. coach Dom Starsia said he worried about "taking a game out of the community. You weigh that. That's why we weren't going to agree to a long-term deal. [Area fans have] been very loyal to us, and you don't want to take all these games away." - Jeff White



 

Zeglinski a seasoned freshman

LONGWOOD AT U.VA.
Today:7 p.m.
Radio:WRVA (1140), 6:30 p.m.; XM Ch. 191, 7 p.m.

By Jeff White
Published: December 17, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Sammy Zeglinski has been connected to the University of Virginia men's basketball program, at least unofficially, since September 2005, when as an 11th-grader he became the first player to commit to new coach Dave Leitao.

More than three years later, however, Zeglinski's U.Va. career is still in its infancy. If all goes as planned, the 6-0 point guard from Philadelphia won't play his final game for the Cavaliers until 2012.

"I feel like I've been here for a while already, and I'm only six games in," Zeglinski said last week. "It definitely wasn't the plan, but I think it turned out OK."

The plan was for Zeglinski to back up Sean Singletary, his former teammate at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, at U.Va. last season. But Zeglinski hurt his right ankle in September 2007 when, during a pickup game, he landed on the foot of another U.Va. player.

The injury didn't heal properly, and arthroscopic surgery followed. Zeglinski rehabbed diligently and appeared in eight games before doctors determined more surgery was required. Zeglinski had a second operation in January and watched the rest of the season from the bench.

Zeglinski's request for a medical redshirt was granted, which means he's a freshman athletically and a sophomore academically. But he doesn't suffer from an identity crisis.

"I feel like a sophomore," Zeglinski said. "Coach definitely wants me to be like a sophomore. He doesn't want me to be a freshman, and this team needs me to be a sophomore and an upperclassman, because they need me to lead them."

Zeglinski is expected to make his fourth consecutive start tonight for U.Va. (3-3), which hosts Longwood (5-5) at John Paul Jones Arena. He's second on the team in scoring (13.2 points per game) and assists (3.2 per game) and leads the Wahoos in 3-pointers made, with 12.

In Virginia's Nov. 25 loss to Liberty, Zeglinski scored 24 points in the second half, and his offense has been a positive for a team seeking to establish its post-Singletary identity. Zeglinski leads the team in turnovers, though, and that's a problem. He has turned the ball over five times in each of the past three games -- all U.Va. losses.

"It's definitely something I need to clean up," Zeglinski said. "Coach is always on me about it. As he should be."

Leitao isn't the only one who has shown Zeglinski tough love. From his two older brothers, Zeglinski got no breaks, whether the sport was basketball, football or baseball.

Sammy was two years behind Zack and one year behind Joe in school, and they weren't inclined to coddle their kid brother. In front of the Zeglinski home in northeast Philadelphia is a basketball hoop, and the games there were fiercely contested.

"They really pushed me," Zeglinski recalled, "and they helped me learn what it was like to compete and be tough."

Joe Zeglinski, a junior guard, is the leading scorer for the University of Hartford. Zack Zeglinski was a running back at Penn State before transferring to Temple, where he joined the baseball team. Like Joe, Zack tore his ACL playing football as a high school senior. That has held him back in college, but Zack now hopes to play basketball at Temple.

"It's a competitive family," aid U.Va. assistant coach Steve Seymour, who has strong ties to Philly. "They love to lace'em up and get after it."

It's in the brothers' genes. Their father, John Zeglinski, played football and baseball at Wake Forest. He later founded the Philadelphia Patriots AAU program, whose first members included the Zeglinski boys, Singletary, Kyle Lowry and Shane Clark.

At Penn Charter, Zeglinski was a freshman when Singletary was a senior. They didn't get to play together much at U.Va., but Zeglinski refused to let his injury to ruin his season.

"So I tried to learn the college game," he said. "I had Sean to watch every day, which was helpful, and I just learned from his leadership and his competitiveness and the way he conducted himself."

 

Cavs need more from Diane
By Whitey Reid
Published: December 17, 2008

If Virginia has much hope of proving prognosticators wrong and not finishing last in the ACC this season, it’s pretty obvious that, among a number of things, Mamadi Diane is going to have to rise from the dead.

The senior has been through tough stretches before, but nothing like his current slide.

Diane, the team’s leading returning scorer from last season, is seventh on the team in scoring this season, averaging just 5.7 points. The tri-captain is shooting 29 percent from the field, including 0-14 from 3-point range.

Tonight, Diane — who has come off the bench in the last two games — hopes to break out of his stupor when Virginia, after a 15-day hiatus for winter exams, returns to action against Longwood (5-5).

Virginia coach Dave Leitao, whose 3-3 squad will be trying to snap a three-game losing streak, said the key for Diane is not focusing on his offense more than other facets of his game.

“If you do well in those other areas, then your shots will fall and you’ll get more time and you’ll get more rhythm, and you’ll get more confidence,” said Leitao, whose team opens its ACC slate on Dec. 28 at Georgia Tech. “If you base [success] on your shot falling, then sometimes you get yourself in a position of which he’s been in to start the season.

“I’m trying to judge it and have him judge it on some of the other parts of his game more importantly.”

Diane is not alone in his struggles.

Sophomore Mike Scott has been up and down after some impressive early outings. Scott, who is averaging 10.0 points and 10.3 rebounds, is coming off a zero-point, six-rebound effort in the loss to Minnesota.

Leitao said he wants to see more consistency out of Scott — and just about everyone else on his roster.

“If you’ve got a 10-point scorer, you’d kind of like that guy to score 10 points every game as opposed to 20 one game and zero the next,” Leitao said. “Getting Mike and everyone else on our team to do the same thing every day has been our challenge, and will continue to be as we move forward.

“I think [Scott’s] a victim of being young enough where that stands out, and not having a couple of seniors around him who can support him both psychologically and physically when those highs and lows come about.”

In the wins over smallish VMI and Radford, Leitao went to a small-ball lineup and didn’t play any of his centers. Longwood, like the aforementioned teams, isn’t a very big squad. However, Leitao doesn’t seem inclined to go small again.

“You’d like to play the same way every game so that you can get the kind of rhythm that guys need to get and more on-court chemistry, and know who they’re playing with and gain some trust,” Leitao said. “If we don’t play a bigger lineup, then we don’t get as much offensive productivity, especially out of our fives, as we do when we play a small lineup…

“It continues to be a work in progress that we’ll assess day by day, but I’d like to think that keeping it more structured is more beneficial to us in the long run.”

Dunks

Virginia leads the all-time series with Longwood, 3-0, including a 76-57 win over the Lancers last season. … Longwood is coming off a 79-57 loss at Virginia Tech on Sunday. … The Lancers are led by senior guard Dana Smith, who is averaging 16.1 points. … Virginia is the only school in Division I to have every one of its games decided by 10 points or less. … UVa hosts Auburn on Saturday.