Starsia

This year's NCAA tournament field has spurred controversy as well as instigating some finger-pointing at the selection committee, specifically questioning Virginia coach Dom Starsia's credibility.Starsia, a member of the selection committee, has been singled out because the No. 3 Cavaliers seemingly have the easiest road to the final four, according to several coaches. Virginia will play in the quarterfinals against the winner of No. 6 Delaware and UMBC, who have totaled no playoff wins in one previous NCAA tournament appearance each.

Virginia swept the Atlantic Coast Conference's postseason lacrosse awards this week with senior attackman Tucker Radebaugh (St. Paul's) named Player of the Year, freshman attackman Conor Gill (St. Paul's) honored as Freshman of the Year and Dom Starsia being voted Coach of the Year.Radebaugh, a unanimous selection to the All-ACC team, leads the conference in scoring with 47 points and in goals scored with 29. He is second in assists with 18. Radebaugh is a two-time first-team All-ACC selection and was a 1999 preseason first-team All-America nominee.

Starsia `above reproach'As chair of the NCAA men's lacrosse committee, I want to respond to comments made in Jamison Hensley's lacrosse notebook in The Sun on May 12 about University of Virginia coach Dom Starsia.As someone who has been involved in intercollegiate athletics for over 30 years, I have never met a more principled, ethical and honest person than Coach Starsia. His integrity and credibility are above reproach.While reasonable people can and should disagree on selections and seedings, there was no attempt to manipulate the process.

BaseballMets: Sent outright P Jeff Tam to Triple-A Norfolk.BasketballSuns: Waived C Peter Aluma.HockeyCanadiens: Recalled D Alain Nasreddine from AHL Quebec.LacrosseMajor League Lacrosse: Professional outdoor league scheduled to begin this summer announced its initial advisory committee that will address rules and marketing: former Team USA standouts Mark Millon and Casey Powell; Virginia coach Dom Starsia; Princeton coach Bill Tierney; Steve Stenersen, executive director of US Lacrosse; Ted Bauer, chairman of U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association; and Chad Watson, president of Great Atlantic Lacrosse Company.

COLLEGE PARK -- Coach Dom Starsia said Virginia lacrosse was "always characterized by flash and sizzle." The Cavaliers' history was long on gaudy goal-getters, but short on gritty defense -- and titles.Freshman attackman Conor Gill was voted the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA tournament, but the all-tournament team also included Virginia goalie Derek Kenney and defensemen Ryan Curtis and Court Weisleder. In view of the manner in which the Cavaliers shut down Syracuse for three quarters yesterday, it wouldn't have been a stretch to include Doug Davies, the third defenseman, or long-stick Pete Ragosa.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The surprises. The fights. The counterattacks.And that's just been the six days preceding the start of the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament, which begins with first-round games today at Brown Stadium.So what could the tournament possibly do for an encore? Perhaps, continue the shocking turn of events.It's a tournament that has never fielded a team that began its championship parade in the first round since the field expanded to 12 teams in 1987. But it's the same tournament that has been won by a school named either Princeton or Syracuse the past seven times.

Ryan Curtis menaces attackmen like his father did quarterbacks.Mike Curtis was at the core of the only Baltimore football team to win a Super Bowl, a middle linebacker so nasty he would actually tackle John Unitas in practice. Ryan Curtis might be the best defenseman in college lacrosse, and his coach at Virginia said he's one of the "most ferocious competitors" he's ever seen.Mike, a Colt from 1965 to 1975, could make Dick Butkus appear rational. Ryan has nearly twice as many penalties as any other Cavalier, and talks about the rage he carries into a game.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Angered by attackman Tucker Radebaugh's uncharacteristic turnovers, Virginia coach Dom Starsia singled out the St. Paul's School graduate in the huddle before the fourth quarter."

In the 1996 Division I men's lacrosse national championship game, Virginia's David Wren stared over at coach Dom Starsia before the opening faceoff of overtime and said, "We got this one."Only 34 seconds later, Starsia watched the Princeton players celebrating and raising the NCAA championship plaque.Rewind back to the 1994 national-title game and it's an all-too-familiar script: Overtime begins, Princeton beats Virginia on the faceoff and the Tigers storm the field within 42 seconds.Two national titles swiped away in a span of 76 seconds.

Assisting is what Tim Whiteley is all about. It has been his hallmark since he arrived at Virginia from St. Paul's.The Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year in 1993, Whiteley has 154 career assists, placing him first in the ACC record book as well as Virginia's. He has had at least one assist in each of his 55 games.The senior was up to his typically unselfish tricks yesterday at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field. Before 5,513 in the first half of a lacrosse doubleheader, Whiteley had six assists and two goals as Virginia clobbered Harvard, 23-12, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament and advanced to a Final Four date Saturday with Johns Hopkins.

FOXBOROUGH, MASS. - Nearly a year ago, Virginia attackman Steele Stanwick lay on a couch in his Roland Park home watching the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse final four on TV. Occasionally, his mind would drift and he would find himself on the playing field ... Stanwick doesn't have to dream anymore. The former Loyola High star will start Saturday for No. 1 seed Virginia as the Cavaliers play Cornell in the semifinals. Stanwick is the latest freshman phenom to play attack at Virginia, joining a list that includes Michael Watson, Conor Gill, Ben Rubeor and Danny Glading.

One day soon, the Division I lacrosse powers might be recruiting middle school players. It sounds impossible, but unless the NCAA does something soon, that's where lacrosse is headed. Loyola High coach Jack Crawford and Boys' Latin coach Bobby Shriver say recruiting is one of the sport's biggest problems. "It's gotten out of hand," Shriver said. In some respects, lacrosse recruiting is worse than big-time college football and basketball because the sport is played in the spring. At least football and basketball players get to play through their senior seasons in high school.

No, he didn't have a video camera, and no, he wasn't trying to steal Princeton's defensive signals. But yes, that was New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick on the Johns Hopkins sideline yesterday at the Face-Off Classic, attempting to look anonymous in a black Blue Jays hoodie sweatshirt and a head warmer. Belichick, who grew up in Annapolis and is a big lacrosse fan, was a guest of Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala. The coaches have become friends in recent years, and Belichick pulled aside Blue Jays midfielder Paul Rabil last week for a pep talk on leadership.

Ben Rubeor's problematic right knee will keep the Virginia senior attackman on the sideline when the No. 3 Cavaliers open the season against Drexel on Sunday, but the Towson native and Loyola High graduate vowed to return to the field sometime this season. Rubeor, a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist who registered 46 goals and 22 assists last year, has not practiced since aggravating a kneecap injury he suffered last spring. Although Virginia coach Dom Starsia said Rubeor is at least a week away from returning to practice and that he will have to wear a brace, the 21-year-old, two-time All-Metro pick said redshirting is not an option.

Duke's bid for an extra year of eligibility for men's lacrosse players isn't sitting well with Dom Starsia, the coach of Atlantic Coast Conference rival Virginia. The Sun reported yesterday that Duke is asking the NCAA to grant the additional year because the team's 2006 season was cut short by the university after rape allegations -- since discredited -- were lodged against three players. Starsia, whose Cavaliers won the 2006 men's title, said that Duke is, in effect, asking the NCAA to bail it out. "I've got some real problems with it. Does Duke University deserve this resolution of the problem, over issues that were kind of self-inflicted?"

As Cornell University has won game after game, everyone wanted to know if the Big Red was for real. With about a month remaining in the college lacrosse season, the question now is whether Cornell can go unbeaten and win the NCAA Division I championship. After Syracuse upset Albany last weekend, No. 1 Cornell remained the only unbeaten team in The Sun's Top 20 rankings. The past two NCAA champions, Johns Hopkins and Virginia, also went through their seasons undefeated. The consensus among a lot of coaches is that Cornell has the talent to win the crown, but because of parity in lacrosse, it's extremely hard to win every game.

Philadelphia-- --Somehow, someway, Virginia men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia always seems to slip under the radar. Princeton's Bill Tierney is the defensive genius. Maryland's Dave Cottle is the offensive innovator. Syracuse's John Desko has all those championship rings. And Starsia? He could be just another car salesman. Maybe he likes it that way. While his players were being interviewed after yesterday's 15-7 win over Massachusetts in the NCAA Division I lacrosse championship game, Starsia slipped away for a few minutes.

SECOND GAME No. 1 seed Virginia (15-0) vs. No. 5 Syracuse (10-4), 2 p.m. THREE THINGS TO WATCH Fans should watch the time during the break between games and make sure to be seated by the opening faceoff, since this has all the makings of an old-fashioned, high-scoring duel. Both teams love to run, and both are loaded with scoring weapons. Goalie play could go a long way toward deciding the winner. Virginia junior Kip Turner plays under the radar often, with the Cavaliers' offense grabbing so much attention, but he is one of the top goalkeepers in the game.

University of Virginia men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia thought April 8 might be the day his team would receive its comeuppance. Having beaten Maryland on the road a week earlier by 10 goals, the Cavaliers had concluded an unusually flat week of practice, before traveling to Chapel Hill, N.C. Virginia warmed up sluggishly in the pouring rain as it prepared to play rival North Carolina, which had just been eliminated from postseason contention. "I turned to one of my assistants and told him I didn't have a good feeling about this," Starsia said.

There is a lot of prestige with being declared No. 1 but also a trap door that has swallowed up the top teams within two weeks of earning that distinction. Virginia's lacrosse team became No. 1 on Monday, and Cavaliers coach Dom Starsia is concerned about a quick fall. Preseason favorite Duke fell in the second week of the season to Maryland, and Maryland's reign at the top was only 8 days old when the Terps fell to Bucknell. Virginia (8-0) doesn't want to suffer the same fate, but this seems like the best time for it to happen.