Long night for UVa in men's tennis final

ATHENS, Ga. -- When Virginia won the doubles point in the Division I men’s NCAA tennis final, it appeared as if the stars finally might be aligning in the Cavaliers’ favor.

As UVa subsequently found out, clouds can align to.

Forced inside by the threat of a storm that never materialized, third-seeded Virginia managed only one singles victory and fell to defending champion Southern California 4-2 at the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Courts.

A match that began at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex did not end till 12:52 a.m., when Southern Cal freshman Yannick Hanfmann won a third-set tie-breaker and defeated UVa junior Justin Shane 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 at No. 5 singles.

On the adjoining court, UVa’s Julen Urriquen had a 4-3 lead in the third set of his match with Robert Quiroz. Urriquen, who already had required a medical timeout, had to be assisted from the court as the Trojans (33-1) began to celebrate.

Virginia (29-2) had been there before, having dropped a 4-3 decision to Southern Cal in the 2011 final in Palo Alto, Calif. UVa has gotten as far as the semifinals in five of the past six seasons but is still looking for its first title.

Southern Cal’s championship was its 20th overall and its fourth in a row, a feat only accomplished previously by Stanford from 1995-98.

“I think it’s a huge factor,” Southern Cal coach Pete Smith said of the confidence that results from previous championships. “Getting over that hill is tough. I told [UVa coach] Brian [Boland] that I know he’s going to do it some day.”

After putting itself in a bind by losing three of the first four singles matches, Virginia found new life in the wee hours Wednesday as Shane found himself serving for the match, up 5-4 after a service break.

The match had been marked by numerous contested line calls, including one that Shane was unable to get overturned in the fateful 10th game.

“I got a little frustrated,” Shane said, “but there’s nothing you can do. [The umpire] was just doing his job.”

Shane said he had no idea his match was still going on at 12:30 a.m., but it was a surreal event from start to finish.

The Trojans took early leads in all three doubles matches but UVa made a sudden surge and picked up two quick wins, good for one point, before a shower hit the premises at close to 6 p.m.

Matches had been moved indoors during Monday’s semifinals, but the NCAA organizers decided that the final should be played outdoors if at all possible. It was announced that play would resume no earlier than 8 p.m.

Workers used blowers to dry off the courts and there was no activity for close to an hour. However, by the time the teams started to warm up, a large, dark cloud had appeared on the horizon.

“I was looking over the weather,” said Smith, who had returned to the Trojans’ team hotel. “Every tennis coach is a part-time meteorologist. Even when they told us 8:30, I was like, ‘We’re going to go indoors.’ “

As the wind started to pick up, it was announced that the tournament would resume indoors. Thunder could be heard overhead, but volunteers later said that no rain fell the second time.

The Trojans hadn’t lost a doubles point all season and the delay, which lasted nearly three hours, gave them an opportunity to regroup.

“To be honest, I couldn’t visualize [the comeback] and that was hard for me,” Smith said, “but I went in there and faked it pretty good for the team. We talked about equating this doubles loss to our [regular-season] loss to UCLA. When we lost to UCLA, I felt that helped us a lot.”

At least one difference between the outdoor and indoor courts was that there were six of the former and four of the latter. After freshman Mitchell Frank won his match at No. 3 singles and put Virginia ahead 2-0, it was a while before UVa fans had anything to cheer about.

Boland rejected lost momentum as a factor in the Cavaliers’ loss.

“I tell the guys, ‘Control what you can,’ “ Boland said. “We didn’t have any control [over the arrangements]. We were happy to get the doubles point but we knew we still had a lot of work to do.”

The opposition included the reigning NCAA singles champion, senior Stevie Johnson, who defeated Jarmere Jenkins 6-3, 6-2 for his 66th consecutive victoy.

“He’s a good player,” said Jenkins, ranked fourth in the country. “Honestly, too good, right now, for me.”

Jenkins, the ACC player of the year, is one of five underclassmen among the six players who represented UVa in Athens.

“You’ve got to put yourself in the position to go this far and be willing to suffer if it doesn’t work out,” Boland said. “We’ll be back again and again. We’re not going anywhere.”  

UVa Insider, the column: QB issues tend to resolve themselves

Upon hearing that Virginia had taken a football commitment from Ocean Lakes quarterback Corwin Cutler, here’s the first comparison that came to my mind:

Miles Gooch.

Some people are wondering why Virginia has added a seventh potential quarterback to its scholarship ranks, just as they might have asked why head coach Mike London signed four quarterbacks prior to the 2010 season.

Actually, I’m not sure you could call Michael Strauss a “signee” because he entered at mid-year. But he was one of four quarterbacks who were true freshmen in the fall of 2010. The others were Michael Rocco, Jake McGee and Gooch.

You know how many remain at quarterback? Only Rocco, although McGee and Gooch are still in the program.

When Virginia announced its signees on February 3, 2010, Strauss, now at the University of Richmond, was listed as a QB. The other three, including Rocco, were given the designation QB-ATH.

McGee, who originally had committed to Richmond while London was the Spiders’ coach, was seen as a possible tight end before he ever arrived at Virginia and was moved before the start of preseason drills.

After a fall on the scout team spent imitating opposing quarterbacks like Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor, Gooch elected to move to wide receiver in the spring.

Upon the occasion of his signing, Gooch was listed at 6-3, 210. Rivals.com lists Cutler at 6-3, 182.

When Cutler appears on a list of UVa signees, don’t be surprised if he’s listed as a QB-ATH.

THAT DOESN’T MEAN Cutler will never play quarterback for Virginia. Assuming Cutler enrolls in the fall of 2013 and redshirts that season, Rocco would be gone by the time Cutler would be a redshirt freshman in 2014.

The 2014 would be Sims’ fifth and final season as a collegian and the fourth for David Watford, who either would be a senior or a fourth-year junior, depending on whether he redshirts at some point.

Of course, one of the candidates could get hurt or transfer at some point, but the competition for Cutler and fellow 2013 recruit Brendan Marshall is more likely to be Greyson Lambert or Matt Johns.

Lambert enrolled in January and went through spring practice, a la Strauss in 2010. Johns will report this summer.

Maybe it would help to identify the seven quarterbacks in one place: Rocco, Watford, Lambert, Sims, Johns, Marshall and Cutler.

Sims was the only four-star recruit in the bunch, according to rivals.com. All the rest were three-stars, except for Rocco, who was a two-star, which says something for recruiting rankings. He’s the only one of the bunch with much of a resumé at this point.

As mentioned in this space last week, don’t be surprised if Watford takes a redshirt this season if Rocco and Sims are available. Sims’ appeal for an extra season of college eligibility is anything but a certainty at this point, however.

Contrary to an ESPN report, an appeal on Sims behalf had not been submitted – at least not as of Wednesday morning, according to UVa director of media relations Jim Daves.

FORK UNION football coach John Shuman said Thursday that he expects Varina High School offensive lineman and UVa signee Tyrell Chavis to spend at least the fall semester at FUMA.

Those discussions began in the summer of 2011.

Shuman also said he is visiting relatives in New Jersey later this spring and is planning a side trip to Hammonton, N.J., to talk with UVa signee Max Valles about the possibility of Valles prepping at FUMA.

 

UVa football starting times

From UVa sports information:

Charlottesville, VA – As part of the announcement of early-season television selections, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced today Virginia’s first three games of the 2012 football season will be televised and the game times are now set for those contests.

 

The Cavaliers’ home opener at Scott Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 1 against Richmond will kickoff at 3 p.m. and be televised by Regional Sports Networks. UVa’s home game on Saturday, Sept. 8 versus Penn State is slated for a noon start and will be televised by ABC Sports. Virginia’s first road game of the season at Georgia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 15 will start at 3:30 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPNU.

 

Virginia’s home game against North Carolina on Thursday, Nov. 15 had previously been announced by the conference as a contest that will be broadcast by ESPN. Kickoff for that game will be 7:30 p.m.

 

After the first three weeks of the season (games through Sept. 15), game times and TV will be announcedweekly with the ACC’s television partners making their choices with a 12-day advance notice beginning on Monday, Sept. 10 (for games on Saturday, Sept. 22).

 

Season tickets are currently on sale for the 2012 season. Season tickets are available at five price levels and include a reserved seat to all seven UVa home football games this fall.

 

Virginia football season ticket holders receive the best value - season tickets are 10 to 34 percent off the single-game ticket price. The season ticket price in all lower level sections and the upper level sideline sections is $285 (orange on the linked seating map). Seats in these areas include a Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF) annual giving requirement. Segments of the orange priority area have been converted to per seat priority for 2012 (orange with blue stripes on the seating map) to enable fans to have a lower donation option in sideline seating sections. The donation requirement in these areas is $50 per seat in addition to the $285 per ticket cost.

Lower level end zone seating (green on the seating map) is priced at $285 and does not include a donation requirement. Season tickets located inupper end zone seating areas are $190, $160, and $140 (blue, yellow, and pink, respectively). UVa faculty and staff will continue to receive a 20 percent discount for up to four season tickets. Young alumni (University graduates from 2008-2012 qualify) sections 525 and 526 are priced at $112.

Fans ordering season tickets in sections that do not require a VAFdonation will receive a seating assignment at the time they place their order.

For more details or to purchase season tickets fans are invited tocall the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-542-UVA1 (8821) or visitin-person at the office located in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Fans can also purchase tickets online at VirginiaSports.com or by sending an e-mail to CavForce@virginia.edu.

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Mike Smith on Sims, Watford

As mentioned in an earlier column, news that Virginia was the destination of transfer quarterback Phillip Sims was followed almost immediately by a text from Roanoke radio host Greg Roberts.

Three of them, in fact.

“I’d like to see the look on Mike Smith’s face right now!” Roberts’ first text read.

Smith is the head coach at Hampton High School, alma mater of David Watford, Virginia’s backup quarterback as a true freshman this past season and a potential rival of Sims in the future.

I told Roberts, if Smith was true to earlier comments, he might welcome the redshirting prospects that Sims’ arrival might provide. Smith had told me as far back as Watford’s senior year at Hampton in 2010-11 that Watford probably would benefit from a year of seasoning.

“Mike London and I talked about that the other day,” Smith said this week, “and we kind of agreed that should have been done [in 2011]. It wasn’t that David wasn’t tough. He had to grow up mentally and physically and he’s done that. He’s a tremendous kid.”

If Sims is eligible this season, a longshot in my mind but still a possibility, Watford conceivably could sit out the 2012 season and return as a redshirt sophomore in 2013.

“He should be redshirted this coming year if he doesn’t start,” Smith continued.

It’s hard to see that happening if Sims is ineligible. If Sims can’t play this year and Watford were to pursue a redshirt, who would that leave as the backup to starter Michael Rocco?

It would have to be Greyson Lambert, but you’d think the Cavaliers would want to redshirt him.

Of course, somebody could transfer at some point. Smith doesn’t think it would be Watford.

“I don’t think he’d leave Marques,” said Smith, referring to UVa grad assistant and former quarterback Marques Hagans, with whom Watford is related.

Smith can be grudging with his praise of some rivals, but not Sims.

“The guy’s pretty good that’s coming in there now,” Smith said. “I heard this rumor before David went up there a year ago. I wouldn’t say it was orchestrated, but the seed had been planted. Word had got back to me from across the water somewhere.”

UVa Insider, the column: Transfer quarterbacks a mixed bag

One of my first thoughts upon hearing that No. 2 Alabama quarterback Phillip Sims was transferring to Virginia was that I could not remember a transfer ever having a major impact for the Cavaliers.

Upon first thought, I think I may have been correct, at least when the standard is “impact,” but Sims isn’t the first celebrated transfer to choose UVa after leaving one of college football’s perennial powers.

Nor is he the first celebrated transfer quarterback.

And, if he were to start a game for the Cavaliers, he wouldn’t be the first transfer to do that.

The first that I can remember? Why, it’s none other than the former Virginia governor and current senatorial candidate, George Allen.

Allen, who began his college career at UCLA, transferred to UVa when his father, also George, was the head coach of the Washington Redskins.

Allen started several games in 1972, including a fateful game at Maryland, where the Terps intercepted Allen five times in the second half and rallied from a 23-3 halftime deficit to win 24-23.

Then-Maryland coach Jerry Claiborne called it “the greatest win I’ve ever been associated with.”

ALLEN WASN’T UVa’s only transfer quarterback during the 1970s. There was also Drew Schuett from Notre Dame and Lindsey Delaney from Pittsburgh.

Schuett lettered three times, 1976-78, but I’m not sure he ever saw any time at quarterback for the Cavaliers. I’ve put research assistant and former UVa head coach Dick Bestwick to work on that.

Roanoke County school administrator Mike Brancati, who played in the secondary with Schuett, said he thinks that Schuett might have started a game at quarterback. What comes to my mind is that I remember hearing that Schuett once saved a person who was about to drown in the ocean.

As for Delaney, I know he started at least one game because he had the Cavaliers on the verge of a milestone victory over Clemson in 1980, leading 24-10 to start the fourth quarter, but falling 27-24 on an Obed Ariri field goal at the buzzer (or was it Donald Igwebuike?).

Allen, in 1972, was the first transfer quarterback to lead Virginia in passing, with a paltry 650 yards. However, Wayne Schuchts was the first to do it twice, in 1982 and ’83. In fact, after passing for 1,881 yards in 1983, Schuchts held the UVa record for passing yardage in a season.

That 1983 UVa team was 6-5, marking the Cavaliers’ second winning season in 15 years and first under George Welsh, who was in his second season. Schuchts had begun his career at Colgate.

IT COULD BE argued, easily, that no transfer quarterback has enjoyed as much success at Virginia as Schuchts, but that’s not necessarily saying a lot.

There were high hopes for B.J. Hawkins, a standout quarterback from Potomac High School in Dumfries when he transferred to Virginia in the summer of 1991. Hawkins actually had played as a true freshman at Notre Dame but had gotten injured that spring and fallen behind Rick Mirer on the depth chart.

Hawkins had three years of eligibility at Virginia, where he was redshirted in the fall of 1991. The wrist continued to give him problems in 1992, when he didn’t dress for some games, and was then suspended for the 1993 season for a violation of team rules. He was never heard from again.

Old newspaper clips indicate that Hawkins got on the field but never had a rushing or passing attempt.

Another Notre Dame transfer, Chris Olsen, had an unspectacular career after transferring to Virginia on the verge of the 2003 season. He redshirted that season but couldn’t beat out Marques Hagans in 2004-2005.

Olsen got the start in the 2006 opener at Pittsburgh, by which time he was going by “Christian” instead of Chris. There was even a “Christian Olsen for Heisman” poster on the ESPN Gameday set, but the night did not go well for him.

Olsen was victimized for a “pick six,” an interception that Pittsburgh returned for a touchdown, as was back-up Kevin McCabe, and, within a month, both had been bypassed in favor of freshman Jameel Sewell.

SO, THAT’S THE LIST: George Allen, Drew Schuett, Lindsey Delaney, Wayne Schuchts, B.J. Hawkins and Christian Olsen.

Forgive me if I’ve missed anybody, but it’s not a very rich tradition that Sims will be bucking. Somebody said that a more impressive list might include quarterbacks who have transferred out of Virginia.

David Rivers, McCabe and Peter Lalich all have had big seasons after leaving Virginia but, in each case, they dropped down a level or two. Rivers played at Division I-AA Western Carolina and McCabe and Lalich have gone the Division II route at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Lalich after a short time at Oregon State.

What kind of career Sims will have at Virginia is hard to project. For one thing, it’s hard to see the Cavaliers taking the starting job away from Michael Rocco, at least if he’s playing at a level comparable to or higher than he played in 2011.

Some of the transfer quarterbacks haven’t been as talented as once hoped and others have brought some baggage to Virginia that they couldn’t unload. Nobody at Alabama has suggested that Sims lacks talent or that he was any sort of off-field risk, which should give him a leg up on his predecessors.

 

Ex-Oscar Smith wideout also transferring

The announcement Wednesday that quarterback Phillip Sims is transferring from Alabama to Virginia won’t be the last involving a prominent Oscar Smith High School football alumnus.

Oscar Smith coach Rich Morgan confirmed Wednesday that wide receiver Quinta Funderburk will be leaving Arkansas after one season.

Funderburk was rated the No. 4 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times following the 2010 season and enrolled at Arkansas in January 2011.

Funderburk had 14 scholarship offers when he committed to Arkansas in late October 2010. He visited Arkansas, Florida and Michigan prior to his commitment, then visited West Virginia after his commitment.

Virginia and Virginia Tech were among the schools that made offers to Funderburk, along with Maryland, Clemson, North Carolina and Penn State.

As a senior at Oscar Smith in 2010, Richardson had 65 receptions for 1,465 and 14 touchdowns. It was his second straight season with more than 60 receptions and 1,000 yards, the first with Sims as the Oscar Smith quarterback.

Rival coaches consider Syracuse, with 12-year pro Rob Moore as its wide-receivers coach, as a threat for Funderburk. If Funderburk were to transfer to a Football Championship Subdivision school, he could have four years of eligibility and play immediately.

If Funderburk goes the FBS route, he would have three years of eligibility after sitting out the 2012 season

“I’m not sure if [Funderburk and Sims] have talked or not,” Morgan said. “Phillip just got home; Quinta’s still at school.  

UVa news release on Phillip Sims

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Quarterback Phillip Sims (Chesapeake, Va.), a member of Alabama’s 2011 BCS title team, has announced he is transferring to Virginia.

“Virginia football welcomes Phillip Sims to our family,” said Virginia football head coach Mike London. “Hopefully he will have a productive career her at UVa as his previous accolades have shown.”

Sims (6-2, 211) appeared in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2011, completing 64 percent of his passes for 163 yards. He threw for a season-best 73 yards on 7-of-14 passing in his collegiate debut against Kent State.

A 2010 graduate of Oscar Smith High School, Sims will team up with former high school teammates and current Cavaliers, Perry Jones and Tim Smith. The trio won the 2008 Virginia Group AAA Division 6 State Championship the last season all three were teammates. While at Oscar Smith, Sims was a Parade magazine and EA Sports All-American, posting a 48-4 record as a four-year starter.

Sims was ranked as a five-star recruit by Scout.com coming out of high school, while Rivals.com and ESPNU had him as a four-star prospect. He was the No. 1 ranked quarterback nationally by ESPNU and SuperPrep Magazine in the class of 2010. After graduating from Oscar Smith High School as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s career leader in passing yards (10,725) and touchdown passes (119), Sims played in the 2010 Under Armour Game in Orlando, Fla.

 

Sims to UVa

I guess we all should have known that something was up when UVa coach Mike London passed up a Chick-fil-A Bowl outing today in Atlanta.

Quarterback Phillip Sims, who is transferring from Alabama, visited Charlottesville today and committed to London.

Sims was rated the No. 1 prospect in Virginia in 2010.

There's no word yet on his desire to seek a waiver that would enable him to play for the Cavaliers in 2011.

Oscar Smith coach on Phillip Sims

In confirming the commitment Virginia received from Oscar Smith wide receiver Zach Jones, I had an opportunity to ask coach Rich Morgan about the rumors that ex-Oscar Smith quarterback Phillip Sims might leave Alabama.

"Phillip's one of my guys and, unfortunately, he's not happy," Morgan said. "He's got a decision to make."

Sims played sparingly as a redshirt freshman last year and remains the back-up to A.J. McCarron.

Morgan's impression is that Sims would meet with Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban one more time before heading home this weekend following the end of spring classes.

Virginia, which has Oscar Smith alumni Perry Jones and Tim Smith on its current roster, is seen as a possible destination.

 

UVa Insider, the column: ACC numbers favor Cavs

 

Dirk Katstra, chief fundraiser for Virginia athletics, highlighted some interesting numbers in a recent gathering of UVa supporters at Roanoke Country Club.

It had been 10 years since Virginia set a series of strategic goals in 2002 and, over that time, the Cavaliers had won 49 ACC championships.

That number subsequently grew to 51 with the addition of titles last weekend in men’s tennis and rowing. Not only does that lead the ACC over the past 10 years, but it isn’t close. Florida State is second with 39.

Virginia has to be happy with those numbers, although the strategic plan set a goal of 70 ACC championships and 12 national championships over a 10-year span.

UVa has won six national championships in the past 10 years, including three in men’s lacrosse and one apiece in women’s lacrosse, men’s soccer and rowing.

(Duke and North Carolina are tops in the ACC in that category with nine apiece).

Katstra indicated that Virginia might tweak its goals when it comes up with a new 10-year plan, but my understanding is that the number of ACC and NCAA championships will remain the same.

Here’s a goal I would recommend: win a championship in each sport at least once during a 10-year period.

Virginia’s numbers are impressive, but consider this. Of the 51 ACC championships, more than half, 33, come from four teams: rowing (nine), men’s tennis (9), men’s swimming (eight) and women’s swimming (seven).

The UVa men’s basketball team hasn’t won a title since 1976.

Virginia’s football team hasn’t won a title since its co-championship in 1995.

Women’s basketball hasn’t won a title since 1992.

Football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball are the sports into which Virginia sinks the most money, although baseball is ahead of women’s basketball in terms of revenue produced.

This is the argument UVa fans have with their Virginia Tech rivals all of the time. In their eight years as an ACC member, the Hokies have won four football championships, but only 13 ACC championships. Virginia has 41 conference championships over that time.

Think Tech would trade those four football championships for UVa’s 41 titles?

Virginia fans might argue that the Hokies are inordinately consumed by football. But, if the shoe were on the other foot, would the Cavaliers be any different?

They’d still take heart in men’s lacrosse and more recently baseball, but there’s another issue with the four teams accounting for 38 of the 51 titles since 2002-2003.

Virginia sponsors 25 athletic teams and more than half of them, 13, have not won an ACC championship in the past decade.

UVa has had a men’s golf team since 1955 and has yet to win a title in 58 years, although the Cavaliers came close this year and boasted the individual champion. in Swedish-bred senior Ben Rusch.

Other programs going on 30 years without an ACC title are women’s tennis (1978-2012), volleyball (1981-2011) and field hockey (1983-2011).

If Virginia could become unbeatable in men’s tennis virtually overnight, it’s not unreasonable to think the women could become contenders and they have moved in that direction.

Volleyball is a sport more commonly identified with the West Coast, but last I looked, there were no ACC teams on the West Coast. Same with softball, a sport in which UVa has been abysmal, basically since failing to pursue Angela Tincher.

But, hey, things could be much worse. Boston College has won one ACC title in its seven years an ACC member, the men’s soccer crown in 2007. Miami has five championships in eight years; Wake Forest has eight titles in 10.

The point is, Virginia can be proud of all the ACC titles it has won, particularly in the Olympic sports, but the Cavaliers know there is room for improvement.