Will A True Freshman Be Virginia’s Answer As A Deep Threat?

Scattershooting around Wahoos World, while wondering if a true freshman will be Virginia’s answer as a deep threat …

One of Bronco Mendenhall’s chief concerns in training camp is finding a vertical threat to replace Andre Levrone and Doni Dowling. It was a concern in the spring and remains one in August.

“We have first-years coming in, Wooby Theork-Youmans (Naples, Fla.), Ugo Obasi (Baltimore, Md.), Billy Kemp (Highland Springs), and Tavares Kelly (Fort Launderdale, Fla.), and possibly (senior) Olamide Zaccheaus [at wide receiver] with one of the other guys playing his position in the slot,” Mendenhall said. “It’s a need and we have to address it to have the offense that we want.”

Certainly Zaccheaus has the speed that he exhibited on a 33-yard TD catch at Miami, when he clearly pulled away from the Hurricanes’ speedy secondary. However, Mendenhall would prefer to keep Zaccheaus in the slot, where he broke UVa’s single-season record for receptions last season with 85. He is also a running threat from that spot.

Early reports on the speedy Floridian, Kelly, have been encouraging, but Mendenhall remains cautiously optimistic.

“For any first-year, it’s difficult,” Mendenhall said. “We played 17 [true freshmen] last year, which was fourth-most in college football. I think at BYU the last number of years, I think we averaged being the third-most.

“I love playing players early if they’re capable,” the coach continued. “What I know already is [Kelly] is a dynamic punt returner. So, for now other reason that gives him a great chance [to play].”

Wide receivers coach Marques Hagans knows a little something about speed and he’s been impressed by the product of Fort Lauderdale.

“[Kelly’s] almost as fast as me (laugh),” Hagans said. “He’s 10.4, he can roll man. 10.4, that’s fast.”

Hagans also recognizes that everybody looks fast the first few days of training camp. He’s waiting until the dust settles to see who proves to be consistent, productive and durable.

Kelly (5-foot-9, 160 pounds) hauled in 26 passes for 440 yards and five touchdowns at St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Michael Irvin’s alma mater) last season, but accounted for 1,294 all-purpose yards, including 425 in kickoff returns and 386 in punt returns.

Jerome Impresses

Virginia guard Ty Jerome showed off his skills at the recent CP3 (Chris Paul) Elite Guard Camp in Winston-Salem, drawing praise from Rick Lewis of Phenom Hoops.

Lewis had this to say about Jerome, a rising junior for the Cavaliers:

“We have watched the growth and maturity of Ty Jerome for many years. He was outstanding at the NBA Top 100 three years ago and has been a tremendous “glue guy” for Virginia’s Tony Bennett for the past two years. Jerome looked confidence in shooting the 3-pointer from long range,” Lewis reported.

Virginia fans knew that already. Jerome has displayed big kahunas in big games for the Cavaliers the past two seasons, including helping nail the coffin shut at Cameron Indoor last season in ending Duke’s dominance over the Wahoos in Durham.

“[Jerome] was quite effective off the bounce/dribble and the catch and his size allowed him to shoot over smaller and athletic guards on a consistent basis,” Lewis wrote. “More importantly, we were so impressed with his vocal leadership on the court. Whether he is on offense or defense, Jerome is constantly talking and communicating with his teammates. Look for Jerome to have a breakout ACC season coming up.”

Congrats Cubbage

We celebrated former UVa and Charlottesville baseball star Mike Cubbage’s 40th anniversary of hitting for the cycle for the Minnesota Twins recently (click here to see the story).

Now, another honor for “Cubby.” He will be inducted into the Tidewater Tides Hall of Fame in Norfolk on Aug. 21.

When we sat down for a chat with Cubbage, who is now special assistant to Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo a couple weeks ago, Cubby told us a couple of great stories that didn’t necessarily fit into the “hitting for the cycle” piece, but need to be told.

Cubbage was a Triple A player in the Texas Rangers organization and called up to the majors to play under legendary manager Billy Martin. Well, Cubbage reported about the same time as another legend, Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry.

Now, Perry, who pitched for 22 years in the Majors (314 wins), had notoriety for doctoring baseballs, i.e. throwing the spitball. If nothing else, he got into heads of opposing hitters by at least making them think he was throwing the spitter.

Perry had just been traded from Cleveland to Texas and he and Cubbage arrived to the Rangers locker room at the same time.

“Gaylord was unpacking his bag, and Jim Fregosi, one of my favorite teammates of all time, grabbed a big ol’ jar of Vaseline and took it over and handed it to Gaylord and said … ‘Gaylord, what’s this?’”

Perry didn’t bat an eye.

“Gaylord looked at [the Vaseline] and smiled, and said, ‘I’ll tell you what that is. That’s a two-hit shutout.’”

…Cubbage was a three-sport star at Charlottesville’s Lane High School and later was an All-ACC baseball player and quarterback for Virginia. He was offered scholarships in baseball and football by several colleges, and even drew some basketball interest.

He visited Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Richmond, and William & Mary (Marv Levy was the coach) for football and baseball.

His most interesting visit was to Alabama and a brief meeting with legend Bear Bryant.

Lane had played against Jefferson Senior in Roanoke at Victory Stadium, and Cubbage had an outstanding night, connecting on 24 of 27 passes for around 350 yards and four touchdowns for Coach Tommy Theodose. An Alabama scout was at the game and immediately offered Cubbage a scholarship after the contest.

He was soon headed to Tuscaloosa for a visit to ‘Bama, where Joe Namath and Ken Stabler had flourished at QB.

“I was rummaging through some of my memorabilia the other day and found my airline receipt in an Eastern (airlines) folder, my sideline pass that day to the game against Mississippi State (November, 1967). I also found four vouchers in the Bear Bryant dining hall,” Cubbage said.

“We were looking at projector film of Namath, Steve Sloan and Stabler throwing the ball,” Cubby said. “I remember the quarterbacks coach telling me they were recruiting a local guy but wasn’t sure they’d get him. That guy was Pat Sullivan (eventual Heisman winner at Auburn).”

Cubbage remembered that he and two other recruits walked into Bryant’s office and the Bear looked at him and said, “Boy, how much do you weigh?” Cubby answered, 175 pounds.

“He didn’t say anything else,” Cubbage said of Bryant. “I could see his mind racing.”

But the Charlottesville prospect elected to stay home and the rest is history.

Covering All Bases

• According to Jerry Meyer of 247Sports, Virginia and Mississippi are the present leaders for 2020 four-star prospect Keon Johnson. Johnson is a 6-5, 180-pound shooting guard from Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tenn. A four-star, ranked No. 35 nationally by 247Sports in his class, he has also been offered by Florida, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt and Tennessee
• UVa has also offered Richmond prospect Henry Coleman, a 6-6, 190-pound forward from Trinity Episcopal, who is another four-star, ranked No. 74 nationally in the 2020 class by 247. Coleman has an impressive list of offers, including Kansas, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, N.C. State, Maryland and LSU.
• Former Virginia wide receiver during the Welsh era, Derek Dooley, is now offensive coordinator at Missouri. Son of Georgia legend, Vince Dooley, Derek has been the head coach at Tennessee and Louisiana Tech, and an offensive assistant for Nick Saban with the Miami Dolphins, and with the Dallas Cowboys. Ironically, Dooley and the Tigers will host Georgia on Sept. 22. Derek’s son, J.T., is a Georgia walk-on.
• Former UVa and current Washington Nationals star Sean Doolittle tweeted out this funny today. When SB Nation asked the Twitterverse, “What’s your most unpopular sports opinion?” Doo had this reply: “I think coaches in other sports should have to wear their team’s full uniform just like they do in baseball.”

Can you imagine Gregg Popovich or Bill Belichick sporting a basketball and football uniform, respectively, on the sidelines? Good one, Dooooooo. That’s why we love you, man.