If case you didn't hear, Gov. Mark R. Warner gave his televised "State of the Commonwealth" address last Wednesday. Don't worry, you didn't flip to the wrong page, and I'm not about to launch an anti-Mark Warner tirade.
Notice I just said the State of the Commonwealth address was on. I was too busy watching "Napoleon Dynamite" for the fifth time to catch the speech, but I'm sure it covered a number of intriguing topics.
With the State of the Union and the State of the Commonwealth out there, the time has come for a State of the Athletic Department address by Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage. Fans are entitled to an address, even it just runs on WHOO-TV after the 800th broadcast of "Stratagem" or whatever weird show the station is currently re-running.
Since Littlepage probably won't get around to that speech, I'm going to go ahead and give my take on the state of the department. Don't feel obliged to clap, especially if you're reading this in class. It's the first day, and you don't want to make a bad impression.
It seems like everyone thinks the sky is falling on the two major programs in the department, football and men's basketball, but things aren't nearly as bad as they seem. Changes have to be made, but that doesn't mean anything is completely wrong with the two flagship programs.
Anyone who saw the MPC Computers Bowl loss has to agree that this football season didn't turn out how many pundits and fans thought it would, as Hokie fans lined Bourbon Street for the Sugar Bowl instead of the Virginia faithful. Despite the setbacks, certain facts and a potentially major change keep the future bright for the Cavaliers.
Next year will be the first year that only Al Groh recruits will take the field for the Cavaliers, and it takes years to build a highly successful program. Also, a string of three straight bowl appearances, Tire or not, are nothing to scoff at. If the Cavaliers can find a way to win the big games next season, everything will be fine.
Winning those big games starts with moving Marques Hagans back to wide receiver, which would give Virginia a playmaker at that position. I think Hagans doesn't fundamentally fit into the Cavaliers' system at quarterback because of his height. If coaches make a point to recruit tall linemen -- and the Virginia starting offensive line's average height is 6 feet 6 inches tall -- a 5-foot-10-inch quarterback just isn't going to work.
Hagans' decision making struggled at least partly because he could not see downfield past his linemen. Let's move him back to wideout and develop a Reggie Bush-type role for the senior, allowing him to return punts and even kicks similar to the way he was utilized two years ago. Either Chris Olsen or Kevin McCabe has to have developed into a serviceable quarterback by now, and it's time to let Hagans be Hagans again. At receiver.
Then there's the basketball program. Before Christmas the Cavaliers were rolling at 8-1, and people were beginning to believe Pete Gillen had finally turned the corner. The Cavaliers made it into the top 25 and looked set to at least make some noise in the ACC.
Now, the squad is 0-4 in the ACC, losing those four games by an average of 16.75 points per game. Anyone can see the vultures circling University Hall. With a trip to Maryland tonight, the Cavaliers are already at the must-win stage in the ACC, and with two home losses, something you can't do and be successful in the league, the sky is quite a bit closer to falling on the basketball team.
It gets tougher every day to find a Gillen supporter. It's easy to argue that buying out Gillen's contract would go a long way to fixing the program, but no one talks about who the Cavaliers would hire in his place. I mean, the next Dean Smith isn't just standing around waiting for the Virginia job to open up. If Gillen is fired, the new coach is going to have to at least partially rebuild, which means a few more years of mediocrity are likely. Immediate success for a new coach in a conference like the ACC is going to be hard to come by, and the Virginia fan base should be ready for that.
Besides the two major men's programs, the Cavalier women's basketball team is looking solid at 13-4 and 3-1 in the ACC. The women put together an eight-game winning streak prior to dropping a game to No. 1 Duke at home Friday night. Debbie Ryan's squad is led by the inside-outside combination of Latonya Blue and Brandi Teamer, two seniors who account for about 26 points per game.
With baseball (No. 27 nationally in at least one preseason poll) and men's lacrosse (No. 6) coming up in the spring, the Virginia athletic program looks like it is headed for a productive 2005. As long as Hagans is catching balls during spring practice instead of throwing them.
Read More
No. 6 women’s squash falls to No. 5 Stanford in first match of the new year
By Peter Kratz | 17 hours agoThe Cavaliers fall to 0-1 in conference play after their first clash with the Cardinal.
Katie Grimes posts historic debut as women’s swimming and diving annihilates Virginia Tech
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoGrimes broke out as a new superstar for Coach Todd DeSorbo's squad.
Women’s basketball displays stingy defense, but falls short versus No. 14 Duke
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers nearly conquered a ranked rival but could not generate consistent offense.
