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Tech fans might need their media guide to answer questions heading into spring
The 
Roth Report
Roth Report
January 6, 2002
By Bill Roth Live from Blacksburg, Va., it's time to play the Virginia Tech Football trivia game
(music begins, audience applauds, Wink Martindale pops out of a giant HokieBird onto stage) Wink: "Hello everyone, it's time to play Hokie Trivia 2002. Our contestants are: Cindy from Martinsville, Va., who hasn't missed a Tech game in years (Cindy smiles to camera); Cary from Petersburg, Va., who only dropped 500 big ones at South of the Border en route to Jacksonville (Cary nods); and Frank from Fairfax, Va., who is unhappy about northern Virginia radio coverage and claims he deserves much more for being a $100-per-year contributor to the Hokie Club. (Frank smirks). Wink: "OK contestants, name the starting defensive tackles and inside linebackers for the 2002 Virginia Tech Hokies."
(tick tock, tick tock, tick tock) "C'mon, now, no cheating! Don't look at the media guide. Just blurt out those names!" Blank stares all around for this trio of Tech fans, then finally... Cary: "Well, you've got Kevin Lewis, and then, well, Mark Costen, Jason Murphy and, well, I think Mikal Baaqee is a linebacker but he's never played." Wink: "Correct, Cary!"
(Audience applauds, lights flash, cut to commercial) Hey, you knew this day was coming, right? After all, Tech's defense had more seniors than a Boca Raton retirement home. It will start the 2002 season with more inexperience and unproven talent than any defense during Tech's remarkable nine-year bowl run. And with a brutal schedule featuring seven 2001 bowl winners, the Hokies will be hard-pressed to extend their own postseason streak to 10. Tech has some very promising prospects on its defense, but not much experience at the tackle positions and linebackers. With a September schedule which features LSU, Texas A&M, Marshall, and Western Michigan (a.k.a. Weaver Bowl II), the Hokies will be forced to break in some kiddies against some darn good foes. Throw in trips to Boston College, Syracuse and Miami, and a seven-win season will be a noteworthy accomplishment. Having an inexperienced defense doesn't assure failure (just like having experience doesn't guarantee success as Temple and its 28 seniors learned last fall). Talent is talent, whether it's 19 years old or 22, but the Hokies and defensive coordinator Bud Foster will start a group of Nick-at-Night viewers, which is enough to make any Tech fan weary. Can Tech win seven games this fall and make another bowl game? Yes, and the Hokies probably will, but it won't be easy. Here is what to watch for this spring: No. 1, defensive line: The Hokies return experience and depth at defensive end. But it's the tackle and nose positions where the Hokies took the graduation hits. Foster is high on Tim Sandidge, Murphy, and Lewis, who redshirted this year. All will play a lot. Junior College help here? The Hokies are looking. Is there another Jim Baron out there? No. 2, placekicker: As a freshman, Carter Warley was All-BIG EAST. This year, he kicked like he had a bad back (which he does). The result? He sprayed field-goal attempts around like a weekend hacker at your local country club. Some kicks were great, while others called for a mulligan. This is a big spring for Warley since the Hokies will sign Virginia's premier high school kicker in a few weeks and he's eager to earn the job in August. No. 3, quarterback: Grant Noel played well in the Gator Bowl, but Tech still lost. The offense only scored 17 points - and that against a defense which had allowed nearly 30 points per game during the regular season and was without its top two tacklers. The numbers were good, but not enough to win. There are five quarterbacks in Tech's program today - Noel, Bryan Randall, Chris Clifton, Will Hunt and Jason Davis. Tech head coach Frank Beamer says he wants to sign two more in February and everyone knows that the Hokies won't enter the fall with seven quarterbacks on their roster. More likely, new quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers will have four quarterbacks to work with - Noel, two incoming freshman, and one of the other four quarterbacks currently on the roster. That means among Clifton, Randall, Hunt and Davis, perhaps only one will likely be at the quarterback position in August. Is a switch to another position - or another school - possible for three of the four? Whoever is watching the other guys take the snaps in spring ball might start looking at receiver, whip linebacker or another program. (By the way, the area code for Lafayette, La., is 337) No. 4, season ticket sales: Tech has sold out its season tickets for each of the past three seasons. In fact, every game has been sold out since the end of the 1998 season. But this spring, an additional 11,500 seats will be available. Will Tech fans gobble up (pun intended) the additional seats or will the south end zone be filled with LSU purple and Marshall green this September? The Herd is capable of bringing 15,000 fans to Blacksburg - if the seats are available. No. 5, Suggs' return: Is there anyone who doesn't want to see tailback Lee Suggs running around again on the practice fields? After missing most of this season with a torn ACL, Suggs will return to action this spring, although running backs coach Billy Hite is unsure how much contact he wants Suggs to have, if any. No. 6, Humes' debut: While everyone will marvel at Suggs and BIG EAST rookie of the year Kevin Jones when they are on the field together, freshman Cedric Humes has the look of a guy who will really be a star. He's been turning heads running with the scout team offense since August. Now, he'll run behind a first-team offensive line which returns eight of its top 10 players. No. 7, will The Roanoke Times sports writers begin penning weekly fashion columns?: While Roth was wearing a charcoal two-button pinstripe suit from Canali, Burnop let the Hokie Nation down by sporting a cotton tweed sport coat which must have come from a Big Lots catalog. And where did he get that tie? No. 8, would The Roanoke Times consider hiring fashion columnists to cover games?: Tech won the game 24-10, but the orange and maroon just clashed too much for my taste. And the grass stains on the pants just ruined everything. Also, the other team wore white jerseys? You can't wear white after Labor Day. Everyone knows that. No. 9: how much would it cost to fly to College Station, Texas, for the A&M game?: The wise Hokie plans ahead, and that means getting airline tickets this spring. From Richmond, it's $297.50 with a connection in Dallas. A more economical option: Fly to Houston and drive to Aggieland. That runs $260 from Norfolk, $252 from Dulles, and $257 from Richmond. Not cheap, but not as bad as you might think. From Roanoke? Call University Travel. No. 10, when will Tech's schedule be released and how many Thursday night games (if any) will the Hokies play?: Look for the schedule to be released in the next three weeks and the early word is for two Thursday night games -one at home and one on the road. Also, don't be surprised if Tech is at Miami in week 12. Overall, this year's spring practice will be more entertaining than most. Coaches in different roles, and young players emerging at key positions will make things interesting. Football wrap-up
Tech finished ranked 18th in both polls, marking the eighth time in the past nine seasons that the program has been ranked in the final polls. In fact, it's the fifth-highest final ranking ever for the Hokies, who will likely start the 2002 season somewhere in the top 20 as well. After a strong bowl showing, the BIG EAST placed four teams in the final Associated Press poll for the first time since 1993. Miami (1), Syracuse (14), Tech (18) and Boston College (21) all finished ranked. Back in 1993, West Virginia, BC, Miami and Virginia Tech were the four ranked BIG EAST teams. The Mountaineers, you'll recall, finished the regular season unbeaten before losing to Florida in the Sugar Bowl. That must seem like a century ago to WVU fans, no? Anyway, for next season, if William Green stays in school (unlikely?), then there is a chance BC could be ranked in the 2002 preseason poll. Syracuse loses a ton of talent (Dwight Freeney, Quentin Harris, Will Hunter and Willie Ford are gone on defense, while Kyle Johnson, James Mungro, and Tech killer Maurice Jackson are gone from the offense). Coming off a 10-win season, the Orangemen will get votes, but will SU get enough to crack the polls? We'll see. As usual, Pittsburgh is the team on the bubble and we'll all be watching Antonio Bryant's NFL decision too. Miami could be the preseason No. 1 team again, and Tech should be somewhere in there too. A January BIG EAST guess- three teams ranked, and two others receiving votes. Basketball Thoughts
Tech's men's basketball team, which has lost six of its past seven, has a busy three-games-in-six-days stretch starting Thursday at UConn. The Hokies, who lost 86-75 to the Huskies last week in Blacksburg, must find a way to slow down UConn forward Caron Butler, who torched the Cassell Coliseum nets for 29 points last week. Saturday, Tech faces 14-1 Miami at the Cassell before serving as the hosts to Villanova next Tuesday. After Tuesday's game, Tech will play six of its next eight conference games on the road - the toughest stretch of the season. "What's discouraging is the effort," Tech head coach Ricky Stokes said after Saturday's loss to Seton Hall. "I didn't think we played with the defensive intensity or passion we need to, especially in the second half (when Seton Hall shot 61.3%)."
Tech is clearly overmatched talent-wise, and it will take several years for BIG EAST-quality players to sign and develop in Blacksburg. Remember, Seton Hall won only four BIG EAST games in its first four years under coach P.J. Carlesimo. Even in his fifth year (1987) Seton Hall was just 4-12 in the league. But by 1988-89, the Pirates were in the NCAA Championship game against Michigan.
Carlesimo's BIG EAST record of 7-69 after five years was brutal. But two years later, he had the Pirates in the Final Four. Of course, that was nearly 20 years ago and fans (and administrators) aren't likely to be as patient today. Any coach with a 7-69 conference record today likely wouldn't get a chance to coach a sixth year.
For the record, Stokes' overall record after 72 games (30-42) is better than Carlesimo's (24-48) and we know that P.J. went on to become a successful NBA coach.
The Roth report appears weekly in hokiesports.com-the newspaper and is
posted for the general public on hokiesports.com.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Virginia Tech Athletics
Department, hokiesports.com, or it's advertisers.
By Bill Roth Live from Blacksburg, Va., it's time to play the Virginia Tech Football trivia game
(music begins, audience applauds, Wink Martindale pops out of a giant HokieBird onto stage) Wink: "Hello everyone, it's time to play Hokie Trivia 2002. Our contestants are: Cindy from Martinsville, Va., who hasn't missed a Tech game in years (Cindy smiles to camera); Cary from Petersburg, Va., who only dropped 500 big ones at South of the Border en route to Jacksonville (Cary nods); and Frank from Fairfax, Va., who is unhappy about northern Virginia radio coverage and claims he deserves much more for being a $100-per-year contributor to the Hokie Club. (Frank smirks). Wink: "OK contestants, name the starting defensive tackles and inside linebackers for the 2002 Virginia Tech Hokies."
(tick tock, tick tock, tick tock) "C'mon, now, no cheating! Don't look at the media guide. Just blurt out those names!" Blank stares all around for this trio of Tech fans, then finally... Cary: "Well, you've got Kevin Lewis, and then, well, Mark Costen, Jason Murphy and, well, I think Mikal Baaqee is a linebacker but he's never played." Wink: "Correct, Cary!"
(Audience applauds, lights flash, cut to commercial) Hey, you knew this day was coming, right? After all, Tech's defense had more seniors than a Boca Raton retirement home. It will start the 2002 season with more inexperience and unproven talent than any defense during Tech's remarkable nine-year bowl run. And with a brutal schedule featuring seven 2001 bowl winners, the Hokies will be hard-pressed to extend their own postseason streak to 10. Tech has some very promising prospects on its defense, but not much experience at the tackle positions and linebackers. With a September schedule which features LSU, Texas A&M, Marshall, and Western Michigan (a.k.a. Weaver Bowl II), the Hokies will be forced to break in some kiddies against some darn good foes. Throw in trips to Boston College, Syracuse and Miami, and a seven-win season will be a noteworthy accomplishment. Having an inexperienced defense doesn't assure failure (just like having experience doesn't guarantee success as Temple and its 28 seniors learned last fall). Talent is talent, whether it's 19 years old or 22, but the Hokies and defensive coordinator Bud Foster will start a group of Nick-at-Night viewers, which is enough to make any Tech fan weary. Can Tech win seven games this fall and make another bowl game? Yes, and the Hokies probably will, but it won't be easy. Here is what to watch for this spring: No. 1, defensive line: The Hokies return experience and depth at defensive end. But it's the tackle and nose positions where the Hokies took the graduation hits. Foster is high on Tim Sandidge, Murphy, and Lewis, who redshirted this year. All will play a lot. Junior College help here? The Hokies are looking. Is there another Jim Baron out there? No. 2, placekicker: As a freshman, Carter Warley was All-BIG EAST. This year, he kicked like he had a bad back (which he does). The result? He sprayed field-goal attempts around like a weekend hacker at your local country club. Some kicks were great, while others called for a mulligan. This is a big spring for Warley since the Hokies will sign Virginia's premier high school kicker in a few weeks and he's eager to earn the job in August. No. 3, quarterback: Grant Noel played well in the Gator Bowl, but Tech still lost. The offense only scored 17 points - and that against a defense which had allowed nearly 30 points per game during the regular season and was without its top two tacklers. The numbers were good, but not enough to win. There are five quarterbacks in Tech's program today - Noel, Bryan Randall, Chris Clifton, Will Hunt and Jason Davis. Tech head coach Frank Beamer says he wants to sign two more in February and everyone knows that the Hokies won't enter the fall with seven quarterbacks on their roster. More likely, new quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers will have four quarterbacks to work with - Noel, two incoming freshman, and one of the other four quarterbacks currently on the roster. That means among Clifton, Randall, Hunt and Davis, perhaps only one will likely be at the quarterback position in August. Is a switch to another position - or another school - possible for three of the four? Whoever is watching the other guys take the snaps in spring ball might start looking at receiver, whip linebacker or another program. (By the way, the area code for Lafayette, La., is 337) No. 4, season ticket sales: Tech has sold out its season tickets for each of the past three seasons. In fact, every game has been sold out since the end of the 1998 season. But this spring, an additional 11,500 seats will be available. Will Tech fans gobble up (pun intended) the additional seats or will the south end zone be filled with LSU purple and Marshall green this September? The Herd is capable of bringing 15,000 fans to Blacksburg - if the seats are available. No. 5, Suggs' return: Is there anyone who doesn't want to see tailback Lee Suggs running around again on the practice fields? After missing most of this season with a torn ACL, Suggs will return to action this spring, although running backs coach Billy Hite is unsure how much contact he wants Suggs to have, if any. No. 6, Humes' debut: While everyone will marvel at Suggs and BIG EAST rookie of the year Kevin Jones when they are on the field together, freshman Cedric Humes has the look of a guy who will really be a star. He's been turning heads running with the scout team offense since August. Now, he'll run behind a first-team offensive line which returns eight of its top 10 players. No. 7, will The Roanoke Times sports writers begin penning weekly fashion columns?: While Roth was wearing a charcoal two-button pinstripe suit from Canali, Burnop let the Hokie Nation down by sporting a cotton tweed sport coat which must have come from a Big Lots catalog. And where did he get that tie? No. 8, would The Roanoke Times consider hiring fashion columnists to cover games?: Tech won the game 24-10, but the orange and maroon just clashed too much for my taste. And the grass stains on the pants just ruined everything. Also, the other team wore white jerseys? You can't wear white after Labor Day. Everyone knows that. No. 9: how much would it cost to fly to College Station, Texas, for the A&M game?: The wise Hokie plans ahead, and that means getting airline tickets this spring. From Richmond, it's $297.50 with a connection in Dallas. A more economical option: Fly to Houston and drive to Aggieland. That runs $260 from Norfolk, $252 from Dulles, and $257 from Richmond. Not cheap, but not as bad as you might think. From Roanoke? Call University Travel. No. 10, when will Tech's schedule be released and how many Thursday night games (if any) will the Hokies play?: Look for the schedule to be released in the next three weeks and the early word is for two Thursday night games -one at home and one on the road. Also, don't be surprised if Tech is at Miami in week 12. Overall, this year's spring practice will be more entertaining than most. Coaches in different roles, and young players emerging at key positions will make things interesting. Football wrap-up
Tech finished ranked 18th in both polls, marking the eighth time in the past nine seasons that the program has been ranked in the final polls. In fact, it's the fifth-highest final ranking ever for the Hokies, who will likely start the 2002 season somewhere in the top 20 as well. After a strong bowl showing, the BIG EAST placed four teams in the final Associated Press poll for the first time since 1993. Miami (1), Syracuse (14), Tech (18) and Boston College (21) all finished ranked. Back in 1993, West Virginia, BC, Miami and Virginia Tech were the four ranked BIG EAST teams. The Mountaineers, you'll recall, finished the regular season unbeaten before losing to Florida in the Sugar Bowl. That must seem like a century ago to WVU fans, no? Anyway, for next season, if William Green stays in school (unlikely?), then there is a chance BC could be ranked in the 2002 preseason poll. Syracuse loses a ton of talent (Dwight Freeney, Quentin Harris, Will Hunter and Willie Ford are gone on defense, while Kyle Johnson, James Mungro, and Tech killer Maurice Jackson are gone from the offense). Coming off a 10-win season, the Orangemen will get votes, but will SU get enough to crack the polls? We'll see. As usual, Pittsburgh is the team on the bubble and we'll all be watching Antonio Bryant's NFL decision too. Miami could be the preseason No. 1 team again, and Tech should be somewhere in there too. A January BIG EAST guess- three teams ranked, and two others receiving votes. Basketball Thoughts
Tech's men's basketball team, which has lost six of its past seven, has a busy three-games-in-six-days stretch starting Thursday at UConn. The Hokies, who lost 86-75 to the Huskies last week in Blacksburg, must find a way to slow down UConn forward Caron Butler, who torched the Cassell Coliseum nets for 29 points last week. Saturday, Tech faces 14-1 Miami at the Cassell before serving as the hosts to Villanova next Tuesday. After Tuesday's game, Tech will play six of its next eight conference games on the road - the toughest stretch of the season. "What's discouraging is the effort," Tech head coach Ricky Stokes said after Saturday's loss to Seton Hall. "I didn't think we played with the defensive intensity or passion we need to, especially in the second half (when Seton Hall shot 61.3%)."
| Here is Seton Hall's year-by-year record in the BIG EAST under Carlesimo: |
| 1982-83: 1-15 1983-84: 2-14 1984-85: 1-15 1985-86: 3-13 1986-87: 4-12 1987-88: 8-8 1988-89: 11-5 (Final Four) |
