Ah, soccer. But the United States is learning not only to enjoy soccer, but to love it as well.
The Virginia and Virginia Tech men's basketball teams have developed a new format for the new millennium. The two schools agreed to a five-year deal that will move the yearly contest from neutral sites to campus facilities beginning in 2000-01. "There were advantages to the neutral site arrangement in that fans from other areas were provided a chance to see the teams in person," Virginia's Athletic Director Terry Holland said in a press release.
The case for declaring freshmen ineligible to play men's basketball is a strong one, with an appalling graduation rate, rampant early defections to the NBA and a common perception that the acclimation to college life is exceedingly difficult. The proposal also has a strong corps of supporters, including North Carolina head coach Bill Guthridge and Virginia Athletic Director Terry Holland.
I've always been a big fan of those sports movies where the overwhelming longshot defies enormous odds to find glory.
Women's crew has only participated for four years at the varsity level at Virginia. But for the competition, that must seem like forever. At the NCAA Women's Rowing Championship May 30, the Cavaliers (8-1) tied with Brown for the national title with 56 team points.
Local developer Lee Danielson has suggested a location for a new basketball arena for the University's teams. The proposal would place the new venue near the downtown mall on an 18-acre plot of land between West Main Street, Preston Avenue, Ridge-McInitre Road and Fourth Street Northwest.
An NCAA panel of 27 members may recommend to the NCAA that freshmen become ineligible to participate in men's basketball. The committee, which includes Virginia Athletics Director Terry Holland, will meet in Chicago June 23.
