Though the Miami Hurricanes men’s tennis team advanced to NCAA tournament play for the seventh straight year, this time around it was no easy task.
Overall, the ‘Canes had an impressive season, finishing with a 13-8 record after being eliminated by the Florida State Seminoles in the NCAA Regional. The Hurricanes also earned yet another Big East title coming by default, and Miami got there with wins over tough teams such as Notre Dame, TCU, and Rutgers.
Perhaps the Hurricanes could have achieved more though, if not for an abundance of injuries throughout the year. Those injuries forced Head Coach Brian Getz to rely on a limited number of options many times during the season.
“We’ve done it with basically six guys all year, which is very abnormal for college tennis,” Getz said. “Usually teams will have eight or nine guys and with the schedule we’ve had, I think this season was a success.”
In addition, Miami is a young team built for the future and included six freshmen and sophomores. Faced with the injuries and a lack of experience, the ‘Canes turned to the steady of play of sophomore star Todd Widom. With the help of Widom, Miami was able to achieve what it set out to achieve when the season started.
“Our goal at the beginning of the year was to win the Big East,” Widom said.
Anchoring the team with a 27-9 overall singles record, Widom made certain that Miami reached its objective. The outstanding sophomore had his season end in the NCAA semifinals with a three set loss to the No. 2 player in the country Benedikt Dorsch. Widom earned All-American status for the second consecutive year, but more importantly, he earned the praise of his head coach.
“It was a great run, he was literally inches away from playing for the national title,” Getz said. “I am so proud of Todd, he kept raising his level of play throughout the tournament and proved that he is one of the top five players in the country.”
Though the Hurricanes were done playing tennis before the end of the school year, Widom certainly was not. Widom was named to the ITA-USA All-Star Team, and he and nine other members of the All-Star Team traveled to Japan in June to represent America. A native of Coral Springs, Florida, Widom finished his sophomore campaign ranked 12th nationally.
While the play of Widom certainly set the tone for Miami, the Hurricanes also received solid contribution and senior leadership from Andrew Golub. Golub ended his career as a Hurricane as the No. 2 singles player behind Widom and helped Miami advance in the Big East Tournament with a win against Rutgers. Golub fell short in his final match as a Hurricane with a three-set loss to Florida State’s Romain Jurd.
The Hurricanes ended their season ranked No. 33 in the nation, and with a solid lineup of freshmen and sophomores, Miami should have little trouble reloading and competing for another Big East title next season.

University of Miami president Donna Shalala’s message to the Clemson president James Barker and the rest of the ACC on Monday was very simple: “Ready or not, here we come.”
Five days after receiving an invitation from ACC commissioner John Swofford to join what is arguably considered most prestigious athletic conference in the country, the Hurricanes accepted the invitation, and becomes the 11th member of the ACC.
Miami joins Virginia Tech, who formally accepted their invitation last Friday, as the two newest members of the conference, and will begin play in the 2004-2005 season.
“We accept the invitation from the ACC with great enthusiasm,” Shalala said. “The ACC has built a remarkable conference based on equal treatment and high academic and athletic excellence. We have both. This is a good move for the University of Miami.”
The move comes after several weeks of proposals from both conferences, as well as a lawsuit from presidents of four Big East schools. In addition, the invitation of Virginia Tech left Boston College and Syracuse, two schools initially rumored to follow Miami into the ACC, on the outside looking in. Shalala said she was “deeply disappointed” in the decision not to invite BC and Syracuse.
However, UM would eventually make the move, despite turning down a five-year proposal from the Big East, rumored to be worth $45 million. Shalala didn’t bury the financial importance in the decision, but said there were other factors as well.
“The ACC is thinking about something broader because of the homogeneity of the institutions,” Shalala said. “That was something attractive to us, particularly me coming from the Big 10.”
One thing that attracted Shalala and Athletic Director Paul Dee was the distribution of money within conference members. While the Hurricanes would currently benefit from the Big East’s “more success, more money” budget, the ACC’s even distribution of funds among its 11 members fits in more with the school’s thought process.
“We were interested in the long term, rather than the near term,” Dee said. “This is a decision for a long period of time.”
Miami and Virginia Tech, who combined to win nine of the Big East’s 12 football championships, now join an ACC conference that includes in-state rival Florida State, as well as Duke, North Carolina and Maryland. The conference in currently one team short of the required 12 members that it would take to produce a lucrative championship game. Shalala said there has been no plans for right now to acquire a 12th team.
“They have not made an official commitment to me,” Shalala said. “We are going into the ACC with 11 schools.”
Several Miami coaches, including basketball head coach Perry Clark, and baseball coach Jim Morris, attended the press conference. Clark, who has come under criticism after an 11-17 season last year, says the move has several positives for the players.
“I think they’ll look forward to it,” Clark said. “They’re looking forward to going to some places that they’ve seen on TV. Right now, what we have to do is get on the phone and change our recruiting.”
The moves by Miami and Virginia Tech leave the Big East conference with just six football members. Although a statement released by Big East commisioner Mike Tranghese stressed the importance of the conference “moving on,” the pending lawsuit still stands to be heard in a Connecticut court.
Dee says the Big East will still be a force in the entire athletic landscape, including football.
“The Big East remains a viable conference,” Dee said. “All you have to do was come out to our game against Pitt last year, which came down to the final play.”

Track and field is not the most heralded sport in America. However, this season, it became one of the most successful sports at the University of Miami.
This Hurricanes’ success was largely due to individual standouts in particular events. On the men’s side, Terrell Walden won the men’s 100 meter dash with a time of 10.67 seconds. Walden had also won the 60 meter indoor championship earlier this season, and in doing so, became just the seventh sprinter in Big East history to win both the indoor and outdoor sprint championships in the same season.
This success was matched by the ‘Canes 4 x 100 meter relay team, which Walden was a part of. Walden ran the second leg of this sprint, which the ‘Canes won with a time of 40.55 seconds, qualifying them for the NCAA Regionals. Roscoe Parrish, who also serves as a wide receiver on the UM football team, finished second in the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.85 seconds and was a part of the victorious relay team as well. He also scored in the 200-meter dash with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 21.13 seconds, placing him second in the event. Junior Shaun Taylor finished fifth in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.01.
As a team the ‘Canes finished ninth in the Big East championships, but the significant individual standouts made the season well worth watching.
On the ladies side, there were even greater individual performances. The ‘Canes won their fifth Big East championship in the last six seasons, thanks to great performances by several team members, including All-American Charlette Greggs. Greggs won the 200 meter, 400 meter, and ran the 2nd leg of the winning 4×100 meter relay team for UM. The Hurricanes, who trailed Notre Dame by four points heading into the final day of competition, won seven events on Sunday in route to 166 points, the most in a Big East Championship since Notre Dame in 1984.
This success allowed the #19 ranked ‘Canes to advance to the Regional Championship. In this meet, Miami finished fourth overall, thanks in large part to another great performance by Greggs, who repeated her earlier feet by capturing the 400-meter title. Also, Kitoya Carter, a junior All-American, won the triple jump, and sophomore Lauryn Williams qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100 meter dash with a school record time of 11.20 seconds.
In the NCAA Championships, the ‘Canes found more success. Williams took third at the NCAA Championship in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.31, marking the best finish ever by a Hurricane in this event. Greggs finished eighth in the 400 meter event/
Greggs, Williams, and Jamillah Wade advanced to the USA Track and Field Championships in California in late June. In this competition, both Greggs and Wade were eliminated in the qualifiers of their races, the 400 meter and the 400 hurdles respectively. However, Williams would advance and finish seventh overall.
Both track and field teams had individual success and the women’s squad saw team success as well. The track and field teams show no sign of slowing down, so expect big things in 2003-04.

The Hurricane swimming and diving programs were able to overcome the looming elimination of the men’s team to have one of their best seasons in recent memory.
The men’s diving team was led by Miguel Velazquez, who was named an All-American for the second year in a row. The Gulliver Prep graduate was the only men’s diver to compete in the NCAA Championships, where he placed 10th in the platform dive and fourth in the three-meter dive.
Diving coach Randy Ableman has been impressed with what he’s seen from Velazquez, who should be a key factor in the program’s success next year.
“I was pleased particularly in Miguel’s three-meter performance at the NCAAs,” Ableman said. “He’s getting better and we’re making big plans for next year.”
The women divers were led by Katie Beth Bryant, whom Ableman refers to as the “best athlete in the school.”
The women’s swim team had a promising run in both the Big East and national competitions. For the second year in a row, junior Manon van Rooijen powered the squad, as she was the only ‘Cane to swim in the NCAAs.
Van Rooijen finished 13th overall in the 100-yard freestyle, and holds both the University of Miami and Big East Championship records in the 100 and 200-yard freestyle.
No stranger to international competition, the Dutch swimmer won a silver medal in the relay at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Van Rooijen hopes to return to the Summer Games in 2004.
Another ‘Canes swimmer with Olympic aspirations is recent graduate Elaine Schwartz. Schwartz recorded two top-five finishes at the Big East Championships.
At the present time, Schwartz is debating whether or not to make a run at the 2004 Olympics.
“The Olympics have always been a dream since I was little, but right now I am not sure,” Schwartz said. “I will have to see how my training goes this summer.”
The season of the swimmers and divers is even more remarkable given that the ‘Canes were in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. Perennial powerhouses Notre Dame and Rutgers are two of the top programs in the country, and the ‘Canes were able to stick right there with them.
Swimming coach James Sweeney feels the Big East is a conference on the rise and deserves more recognition for the programs it has produced.
“The Big East is the most improved conference in the nation,” Sweeney said. “It will be critical for us to keep up with all of the other schools in the conference that continually improve.”
The Hurricanes will have a different look next year without the men’s swimming program, but the squad as a whole return Velazquez, Van Rooijen, and several other athletes that hope to follow their example.
Van Rooijen sums up the team’s goals adequately.
“Just keep improving,” Van Rooijen said. “We compete in a great conference and we can’t stop working for one minute.”

The 2002-2003 women’s golf season was full of up and downs. There were bright points, like the team’s victory on Oct. 29 at the Georgia State Invitational, but overall, the team could not keep that momentum throughout the season.
However, if there was one positive that was constant throughout the entire season, it was the emergence of sophomore Tina Miller. Miller ‘s highlight may have been when she stormed back from a five stroke deficit in the final nine holes to earn herself a share of the Big East championship. That effort by Miller helped the Hurricanes earn second place in the tournament behind host team Notre Dame. In addition, Miller’s solid outing earned her a trip to the NCAA Regional Championship.
At this tournament, though, Miller fell behind again and ran out of comebacks. After an opening round 74, Miller came back with a solid 72 in the second round to move into a tie for 18th going into the final day. However, a closing round 75 would place her 26th overall and end her successful run for the season. She will be a junior next season and will have two more chances to capture the NCAA Regional Championship.
Last year, Camilla Hilland the ‘Canes surprise, qualifying for the NCAA Regional Championship. Hilland’s junior season was not as successful, but it was far from a complete failure. Hilland captured the Lady Panther Intercollegiate Championship in late October, and at one point, was ranked 18th in the nation. Hilland struggled down the stretch though, and was not able to earn a trip back to the NCAA Regional Tournament, where she tied for 34th a year ago.
Miller and Hilland are the only ‘Canes to qualify for the regional tournament since 1998, and as teammates next season, things are looking up for women’s golf in South Florida These two players could be the best one-two combination in the Big East, or maybe even the nation. If Miller and Hilland can keep improving and put up even better 2003-2004 campaigns, the ‘Canes will not only be looking at a Big East Championship, but possibly more, both for themselves and the team.

The 2002 women’s soccer season may have ended sooner than the Hurricanes would have liked, but the future looks awfully bright for the upstart program.
The team will only lose six seniors to graduation before the 2003 season begins in the fall. One of those seniors leaves a major void to fill.
Rachel Elsby, a microbiology major, was their starting goalkeeper and a leader on and off the field. Elsby spent the season balancing her time between working towards her Ph. D in Immunology and minding the net for the ‘Canes. Without Elsby the team will be looking for someone else to step up as a leader.
A perfect candidate to guide the young Hurricanes to the top of the Big East is forward Britney Butcher, who was voted the team’s Offensive Most Valuable Player after leading the ‘Canes with 34 points, including 16 goals and a pair of assists.
Butcher set single season records for most goals and points in a season. The junior also set career records in goals (24) and points (58).
In her first year as head coach, Tricia Taliaferro led the squad to a 9-9-1 overall record, with a 4-1-1 record in Big East competition. The only sour note in a productive season was the fact that the ‘Canes lost in the Big East quarterfinals to Rutgers, ending their shot at a conference championship.
The team made tremendous strides during the spring season. Taliaferro was very pleased with what she saw out of her unit.
“I was very happy with the performance over the spring season and I felt that everyone contributed in helping us achieve our goals,” Taliaferro said. “The team trained and played at a very high level. We not only saw growth and development as a team, but each player made improvements and commitments on an individual level.”
The head coach noticed a few of the young players standing out during the spring.
“The whole team really embraced the new philosophy I brought to Miami and made a smooth transition,” Taliaferro said. “I am excited to see players like Michelle Provenzano, Britney, Andrea Radice, and Vonda Matthews really take their games to a new level in such a short time. I can’t say enough good things about our spring training.”
Radice hopes to build on the goal and two assists she had during the Big East tournament and carry it over to next season.
Jessica Keller most likely will take over for Elsby in the net. The sophomore will rely on a much-improved defense to protect her from being bombarded with shots.
The team is thrilled about the recent signings of four highly touted recruits. The ‘Canes have brought in two goalies to back up Keller in Lauren Alford and Jessica Stegman, as well as forward Julie Brooks and midfielder Shannon Sanguinetti to bolster the Hurricane attack.
Taliaferro is poised and ready to take her nucleus of returning starters and younger talents and make a run at the Big East title.
“We’re very excited about the upcoming season,” Taliaferro said. “I think this core group of players coupled with the incoming freshman will make it interesting next fall. I can’t wait to see what happens.”

With talented newcomers such as sophomore transfer Megan Bradley and freshman Melissa Applebaum, expectations were high for Head Coach Paige Yaroshuk and the rest of the Unviersity of Miami women’s tennis team entering the 2002-2003 season.
In her second year as coach, Yaroshuk took her crew into the year looking to defend their title as Big East champions. Fortunately for her, the Hurricanes squad was one that fought through injuries and featured a variety of skilled young players.
“The talent’s here,” Yaroshuk said. “The talent’s always been here. The work ethic has always been here.”
The work ethic was prominent all year for Miami, as the team worked itself to another Big East title and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Regionals. Without playing through numerous injuries, it could have been a different story for the ‘Canes.
“No matter how much talent you have, you can’t be successful if you’re not out on the court. In the past, soreness has kept our kids off of the court,” Yaroshuk said. “With this group of girls, they’ve played through soreness, and that’s what you have to do as an elite athlete.”
“I think this year just being healthy, being on the court for every match and not having any players sit out due to injuries has really helped the program.”
Regardless of how much toughness helped the Hurricanes succeed, the play of Bradley and Applebaum led the way for Miami. Not only did Miami’s two young stars finish the season as the No. 1 and 2 singles players, but Bradley and Applebaum ended the year paired up as the number one doubles pairing for Miami, and one of the best doubles teams in the nation.
Bradley and Applebaum gave the Hurricanes key victories in both Regional games on their way to advancing into the NCAA Doubles tournament. They were defeated in the second round of the tournament by the No. 1 ranked doubles pairing in the country, but their contributions did not go unnoticed. Bradley finished up ranking No. 55 in the country in singles, while Applebaum turned in an impressive national ranking of 74th. As a doubles team, Bradley and Applebaum ranked 21st in the nation.
Also continuing to emerge as a reliable player for the ‘Canes was junior Mari Toro. Toro, whose sister Tari Ann serves as an assistant coach, provided Miami with much-needed experience and depth. Toro gave Miami a solid number three singles player while teaming up with a new doubles partner, Staci Stevens, to become part of the number three doubles pairing for Miami. At the season’s end, Toro ranked No. 117 in the nation.
Miami loses just two seniors from this year’s squad. Abby Smith and Igna deVilliers exit as the leaders of the team and the number two doubles pairing on the Hurricanes. The loss of Smith and deVilliers places even more pressure on Toro to become the senior leader next season.
The Hurricanes finished the year with a record of 17-7 after losing to Kentucky 4-3 in the second round of the NCAA Regionals. Yaroshuk should be expecting a lot more out her Hurricanes next season, and with Applebaum and Bradley getting better each time out, Miami will have a lot to look forward to next year as the team looks to establish itself as one of the nation’s elite.

A season that began with great expectations ended in disappointment and dismay for the men’s basketball team after losing in the first round of the Big East tournament to Seton Hall.
The ‘Canes were unable to duplicate the success of the previous season where they finished 24-5 and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament despite returning starters Darius Rice and James Jones. The Hurricanes finished with a record of 11-17.
The ‘Canes were led by Rice and Jones on offense, scoring 18.7 and 16.9 points per game respectively. Jones was unable to pick up the slack when Rice was either injured or in foul trouble, however, which left the team with limited options offensively.
The 2002-03 season was a breakout year of sorts for Rice, as the 6’10” junior had several outings that garnered national attention, including a 43 point game against Connecticut which featured Rice stealing an inbounds pass and hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer to shock the Huskies. Rice never could put up those numbers consistently, however, as injuries and double-teams slowed him down from time to time.
The ‘Canes are fortunate to have Rice returning for his senior season, as the forward made public that he was considering entering the draft. After not liking where he was projected during pre-draft camps, Rice decided to stay in school.
Rice’s decision will be crucial in the development of head coach Perry Clark’s younger players. As freshman Robert Hite, Armondo Surratt, Gary Hamilton, Eric Wilkins, and Ismael N’Diaye all played important roles during the season, and will be counted on to keep improving next year.
The addition of William Frisby, a forward who was injured throughout the entire year, should be helpful in the Hurricanes quest to return to the top of the Big East in 2004. Frisby was thought of as a possible starter before he got injured.
The ‘Canes also brought in a nice recruiting class for the incoming season, with five prospects agreeing to become Hurricanes. Anthony Harris, a guard out of Chicago, already has Clark excited.
“I feel Anthony (Harris) is a great addition to our program,” Clark said. “He is a lead guard who can score which really compliments the players we have already signed. His versatility and decision making on the perimeter will really help us.”
The other recruit’s the Hurricanes have brought in include guard Guillermo Diaz, forward Karron Clarke, forward Leonard Harden III, and power forward Anthony King.
Clark feels King will provide a force in the middle that the ‘Canes lacked last season.
“The addition of Anthony King to our line-up will give us a physical presence down low, and a person who can rebound and score in the post,” Clark said. “He is a tough Big East type post player who has shown the ability during his high school career to score against some of the best players in the country.”
What frustrated many fans during this past season was how close the ‘Canes played some of the tougher teams in the conference without ever pulling out a win in the final minutes. Losses by five or less to Connecticut, eventual national champion Syracuse, Georgetown, and Boston College helped put a dark cloud on the 2002-2003 campaign.
With the addition of five top recruits, the development of the younger players, and the return of Darius Rice, Clark says the Hurricanes should give their fans much more to cheer about and turn some of those close losses into wins.
“I am very excited about our chances next season,” Clark said. “With all of the additions we have made in the off season we should be right back to where we were two years ago.”

Many Miami Hurricane men’s basketball fans can breathe a sigh of relief now that the team’s best player is back.
Darius Rice, who led the Hurricanes in scoring in 2002-2003, announced in May his return to the team for his senior season. Rice had kept quiet for months about the topic, refusing to let his guard down when asked by reporters about his draft status. The 6’10 forward was projected as a late first round/early second round pick had he entered the draft.
Most followers of Hurricane basketball feel Rice needs one more year of seasoning and bulking up before venturing into the NBA. Next year’s team will now return a seasoned veteran to help youngsters Robert Hite, Armondo Surratt, Eric Wilkins, and Gary Hamilton develop into stars in the Big East.
Last season Rice averaged 18.7 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, and shot 36.4 percent from beyond the three-point line. He started 26 of the ‘Canes 28 games and averaged 33.4 minutes a contest.
Despite a solid season from Rice, the Hurricanes had one of their worst years in recent memory, finishing11-17 (4-12 Big East), good for the second-worst record in the conference. Miami followed that record with a first-round loss in the Big East tournament to Seton Hall.
Rice pointed to wanting to end his college career on a winning team, influence from friends and family, and talks with head coach Perry Clark as key reasons for staying in school for his senior year.
“With the help of my parents, Coach Clark and the UM coaching staff I was able to gather the necessary information needed to make a decision I am happy with,” Rice said. “That is to return to the University of Miami for my senior year. I am looking forward to next season and am excited to get back to work with my teammates.”
The highlight of Rice’s 2002-03 season took place Jan. 20 in the Convocation Center, when Rice stole an inbounds pass from Shamon Tooles of Connecticut with 3.2 seconds left in the game and hit a fade away three pointer to shock the Huskies, 77-76. Rice had a career high 43 points in the game.
“The basket was as big as the ocean for me that night,” Rice said. “I hope to have more nights like that in the future.”
At most of the Hurricanes’ games last season Rice had to perform in front of scouts of various professional teams. Despite that, Rice said he never felt any added pressure as a result.
“I honestly don’t pay attention to that stuff,” Rice said.
Rice is hopeful that his decision to stay at UM will keep the fans in the seats next season and promote more interest in the ‘Canes.
“We play for our school and our fans,” Rice said. “It’s great to be able to give them a great game and hear them cheer for us.”

The UM women’s basketball team still has some work left before they can be considered as much of a Big East power as the Uconn’s and Rutgers. However, a new member of the team brought the ‘Canes closer to reaching that goal this past season.
In a year that saw Miami reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998, freshman forward Tamara James wasted no time making the jump from hard working rookie to Big East superstar. James, a native of Miami, led the conference averaging 21.0 points a game, while pacing the Hurricanes with 7.9 rebounds per contest. Her contributions helped Miami achieve an 18-13 record, and an impressive run in the Big East tournament.
“She’s a competitor,” Labati told the Miami Herald. “She wants to win. She believes in herself. She believes in the team concept. She wants the ball in critical situations. She can do so many things.”
James, named the ‘Canes starter at small forward to begin the season, made her presence felt immediately with a 20 point, 21 rebound performance in UM’s opening game 60-49 victory over South Florida. She continued to be a consistent scoring threat for her team, with efforts like a 36-point night in an 87-56 rout of Quinnipiac, and a 27-point evening in Miami’s 97-66 victory over Maryland.
Before the start of conference play, the Hurricanes got off to an 11-3 start, and while it helped to have the nation’s highest scoring freshman in their lineup everyday, there were certainly other players increasing their level of play. Senior Meghan Saake, a two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, continued to make plays on both ends of the floor, while junior Chanivia Broussard and sophomore Melissa Knight provided the ‘Canes some much needed depth off the bench.
Despite the presence of a consistent scoring threat, and better production from the bench, Miami still could not avoid falling into inconsistencies which have plagued the program over the past few seasons. Once Big East play rolled around, teams were finding ways to double-team James, and no one else’s shots were falling on a consistent basis.
Although Miami would lose several close games during that span, one player eventually helped taking the load off from James’s back. Sophomore Yalonda McCormick, who suffered through a disappointing rookie campaign, turned things around with a mature attitude and an improvement in all areas.
McCormick finished second on the ‘Canes with a 10.2 points per game scoring average, and also dished out six assists per contest. McCormick and Saake also formed one of the country’s devastating defensive combos. Saake added a 10.2 points per game average to the defensive highlights.
“Meghan Saake would be a great asset to any championship team,” Labati said. “She is fully dedicated to the game and it is great to coach a player like her. She gave us four years of dedication and hard work.”
Although the Hurricanes lose the services of Saake and Alicia Hartlaub, James and McCormick are back, along with eight other players from the 2002-2003 squad. Add to that a stellar freshman class, and Hurricane fans could be in for one of the most exciting seasons in quite some time.

It is hard to say if this is a good sign or not, but this year’s football team was already getting headlines this spring for a variety of reasons. Now, the Miami Hurricanes hope to rack up the headlines this fall as well.
In what was a controversial but entertaining spring, fans found out a lot about the 2003 Hurricanes. The most important question was answered when Larry Coker named Brock Berlin as the starter over underdog Derrick Crudup.
Coker pointed to Berlin’s physical skills and big-game ability as reasons for naming him the official starter.
“I’ve been very impressed with both players,” Coker said. “Brock, having had very little time in the offense, has really made tremendous strides in the offense. I think the same thing with Derrick. I’ve really seen Derrick come miles. I think we can win with both of those players on our football team at quarterback.”
The quarterback controversy almost became a race issue when Crudup’s father questioned quarterbacks coach Dan Werner’s ethics during team meetings. The situation resolved itself but not before appearing on ESPN and in national newspapers.
“We had a very productive meeting in which we discussed several issues,” Coker said. “We are all in agreement that race was not an issue in deciding the quarterback competition. The Crudups regret that Coach Werner was unfairly labeled.”
The ‘Canes will have a different look in other positions as well. The offensive line must overcome the losses of Brett Romberg and Sherko Haji-Rasouli by putting together a makeshift line featuring converted tight end Eric Winston. Senior Vernon Carey has already been put on the watch list for the Outland Trophy and is expected to anchor the inexperienced line.
Only a few months removed from Willis McGahee’s remarkable 2002 season, the Hurricanes are looking to Frank Gore for a repeat performance from his freshman campaign in 2001. Gore was expected to be last season’s starter before injuring his ACL in the spring. Fully recovered, Gore will have to take some pressure off of Berlin by having big rushing games.
The receivers all have increased responsibility after Andre Johnson declared for the draft and Ethenic Sands graduated. Sophomore Roscoe Parrish handles most of the kick returning duties and will also be a primary target for Berlin.
Seniors Kevin Beard and Jason Geathers will also look to come up with critical catches during the season. Kellen Winslow is expected to build on his breakout 2002 season and become the best tight end in the country.
While the offensive unit has many unanswered questions, the defense should be near the top of the country, returning many starters and looking impenetrable as a unit during the spring.
Seniors Jon Vilma and D.J. Williams should dominate the middle of the field. Vilma has been listed as a candidate for the Nagurski Award.
The secondary did not suffer any losses from last season and should be one of the most sound units in the nation. The combination of Maurice Sikes, Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle, Glenn Sharpe, and Kelly Jennings should rack up interceptions and make opposing receivers frightened to go over the middle of the field.
The defensive line will be anchored by tackle Vince Wilfork, who was a candidate to leave for the draft after a breakout 2002 campaign. Wilfork chose to stay, much to the delight of the Hurricanes, and should team up with end David Williams to swallow up ball carriers.
Despite the kicking situation not being etched in stone, it seems that Mark Gent will replace Todd Sievers after an impressive spring that featured several 50-plus yard field goals. Jon Peattie will be the punter to start the season.
There are several newcomers expected to make an immediate contribution. Tyrone Moss could earn some carries backing up Gore and Jarrett Payton, and Terrell Walden looks to emerge as a nickel back in the secondary.
It is hard to imagine how a team that lost so many players to the draft will be able to immediately duplicate last year’s success with different players at key positions. But that is the beauty of Hurricanes football. No matter what combination of guys the ‘Canes put out on the field, they always find a way to win.