QB runs afoul of law

Peter Lalich, a candidate to start at quarterback for Virginia this season, has been charged with unlawful purchase and possession of alcohol, a misdemeanor. The 6-5 sophomore from Northern Virginia is 20.

Lalich, the most experienced quarterback on the Cavaliers' roster, appeared Monday in Charlottesville General District Court. His case will be continued until July 21, 2009. The charge will be dropped then if Lalich has avoided further trouble.

The July 13 incident wasn't Lalich's first encounter with police. He has been cited several times for traffic violations in the Charlottesville area, court records show.

A U.Va. spokesman said coach Al Groh would not comment on the latest charge against Lalich. Any disciplinary action will be handled internally with the team, the spokesman said.

When reporters spoke with Groh on Monday afternoon at the ACC's preseason football gathering, they were unaware of Lalich's alcohol charge. But Groh was asked about the maturation of Lalich, who was U.Va.'s No. 2 quarterback as a true freshman last year.

"It's progressing," Groh said. "It certainly isn't full term, and there's nobody in our operation who expected in this short time frame that it would be full term."

Former 'Hoo shining

Point guard Sean Singletary, whom the Sacramento Kings selected in the second round last month, is expected to play in the NBA this season. Elton Brown, one of Singletary's teammates at U.Va. in 2004-05, might be in the big league, too.

Brown, a 6-9, 250-pound forward, starred for the Denver Nuggets' entry in the Las Vegas summer league this month. Brown was second on the team in scoring, at 13.4 points per game, and first in rebounding (10 per game). He shot 57.8 percent from the floor and 68.2 percent from the line.

A former NBA Development League all-star, Brown was one of the last players cut by the Knicks in 2006 and by the Lakers in 2007. He played in the D-League and later in Israel last season.

Denver tied for first in Las Vegas with a 4-1 record. The Kings went 3-2, and Singletary averaged 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He shot only 26.7 percent from the floor.

Seeing double?

In eight games last season, Virginia used two quarterbacks: Lalich and starter Jameel Sewell, who's on academic suspension this year. Groh may employ a similar approach this season.

"If your one quarterback is Tom Brady [or] Peyton Manning, then there's a great need to have him in the game all the time and a significant comfort level with that," Groh said. "If that's not the case, the real need is that the quarterback position plays in each game to a standard that's high enough for us to win, however many quarterbacks it takes to do that.

"If it takes one, then that'd be great. If it takes two, then that's what will do."

In U.Va.'s spring game, Lalich, Scott Deke and Marc Verica split time at quarterback.

Ex-Royal on the mend

John Bivens, who redshirted in 2006, was expected to break into the rotation at inside linebacker last year. But persistent problems with his left knee limited the former Prince George High star's availability, and he had season-ending surgery in November.

Bivens, who played in seven games last season, essentially sat out spring practice this year, but his rehab is going well.

"He's doing more and more every week," U.Va. linebacker Clint Sintim told reporters Sunday. "I was actually very impressed with Bivens in the agilities the other day. Before he got hurt and before a lot of [the younger Cavaliers] were here, Bivens was the king of the agilities."

In recent workouts, Sintim said, Bivens "was moving great. He looked like he was ready and getting better, so if he just continues on that track he'll be great."

Groh said: "Clint was accurate. [Bivens is] still not there yet, but there's been a big jump in his progress."

-- Jeff White