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   SabreMail - Jan. 21st, 2005
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I don't envy Dirk Katstra and Craig Littlepage. Both have tough jobs to do over the next 16 months.

That's how long it will be before John Paul Jones Arena is scheduled to open. Until then, Katstra, the executive director of the Virginia Athletics Foundation, will be spearheading the effort to raise the final $36 million needed to build the $129.8 million facility. Littlepage, UVa's athletic director, will be the one responsible, as he put it, for making sure the basketball program is "on an upswing" when the Cavaliers begin play at JPJ.

An artistic rendering of JPJ Arena, set to open in 2006.

Making their tasks difficult is the current state of UVa hoops, which is dismal. The Wahoos are 0-5 in the ACC with each loss coming by double digits. The team has collapsed in the second half of every conference game. Pete Gillen seems increasingly frazzled. And the players appear almost resigned to losing.

Because of that, the enthusiasm of the fan base is at one of its lowest points in many years. Not a good time to ask those fans for money, but that's what Katstra and company have to do anyway. Katstra and Littlepage held a press conference this week to announce the start of a mass-marketing campaign geared toward the athletic department's donor base of 10,000. Those potential donors will be asked to dig deep in their wallets to help fund the arena's construction. For example, to ensure a lower-level seat for UVa games at JPJ in the future, a fan must cough up $25,000 for the arena and an additional $2,200 annual donation to the VAF.

That's asking a lot, considering many fans think the current team isn't worth a wooden nickel. The fundraisers can't capitalize on any excitement about Cavalier basketball to get fans to open their checkbooks. What they are counting on is school pride, a generous spirit and hope for the future -- a future that will probably include a new head coach. Assuming Gillen is let go, Littlepage needs to hire someone who energizes the fan base.

Until then, the biggest selling point for the arena will be, well, the arena itself. It's going to be an extraordinary, state-of-the-art venue - "the best and finest facility anywhere in the country," Littlepage said.

Question is, will the product on the court be any good?

John Galinsky
Editor
TheSabre.com
[email protected]


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  •    Recruiting News

    This Week In Recruiting
    By Chris Horne

    Football recruiting...

    UVa lost another verbal commitment this week when Cardinal O'Hara (Springfield, PA) offensive lineman Matt Lowry switched his verbal from UVa to Penn State. Lowry made an official visit to Penn State last weekend and changed his commitment yesterday. UVa now has a total of 21 verbal commitments for the 2005 recruiting class.

    This weekend UVa will host outstanding outside linebacker recruit Kyle Newell. Newell, a 6-5, 220-pound recruit out of Catholic High School (Bethlehem, PA), has already made official visits to Boston College, Maryland, N.C. State and Tennessee. Look for his decision sometime next week.

    In addition to Newell, UVa will host current commits Will Barker, Maurice Covington and Brandon Woods over the weekend. Currently, Hampton wide receiver Todd Nolen is on campus making his official visit. He is still expected to make an official visit to Penn State this weekend and Virginia Tech on the 28th.

    Harrisburg (PA) tailback Mikell Simpson will announce his choice next Wednesday during a press conference at his high school. He will choose among UVa, Alabama and Florida.

    William Fleming (Roanoke, VA) linebacker Darryl Gresham will announce his choice on February 2nd at a press conference at his high school. He will choose from Florida, UVa and Virginia Tech.

    For more recruiting information and updates, please see Sabre Edge.

       Support TheSabre.com's Sponsors

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  •    News, Notes and Fan Discussion

    Post of the Week

    An interesting poll on the basketball board this morning...

    Subject: Poll: When did you first realize the bloom was off the rose?
    Posted by: 3 U Circle on Fri Jan 21 2005 9:00:23 AM
    Message: That is, when did you first entertain doubts about Pete's coaching abilities?

    For me, the first time I screamed at the TV was during the 3OT loss to Georgetown in the NIT, Pete's second season. It was clear that Travis was gassed, not to mention playing with 4 fouls, and Ducharme STILL couldn't get in the game. Geougetown's front court was scoring at will.

    However, I should quickly admit that I remained a faithful Pete supporter for years afterwards. Shame on me.

    To read or participate in this thread, please click the link below.

  • Sabre Basketball Message Board

    Cavs still winless in the ACC

    For the Virginia men's basketball team, the season was already slipping away. This week may have sent it into a tailspin.

    Jason Clark's Cavalier career is over because of academics.

    The Cavaliers lost two more ACC games and now reside alone in last place in the conference standings at 0-5. The defeats came by nearly identical scores (80-66 at Duke and 82-68 at Maryland) and followed now-familiar patterns. Both were close at halftime and got away from the Wahoos in the second half, just like the first three ACC losses.

    Even worse, senior forward Jason Clark, the team's best interior defender and a tri-captain, was declared academically ineligible for the rest of the season. Sophomore forward Donte Minter broke a finger on his left (shooting) hand and is also out of action.

    Can things get any worse? Is this rock bottom? We'll see. The Cavs play at home against Clemson on Saturday night in the closest thing to a sure win on the schedule the rest of the way. But for this team right now, no victory is certain.

    For the Sabre's story on the Duke game, please see the link below.

  • Duke Stuffs Slumping Cavaliers, 80-66

    For the Sabre's story on the Maryland game, please see the link below.

  • Woes Continue for Wahoos

    Women's basketball falls to two ranked teams

    In most respects, the UVa women's basketball team is having a good season. The Cavs have won 13 games, matching their total last season, and have avoided the bad losses and chemistry issues that plagued them last year.

    But the 'Hoos are still seeking the breakthrough win that would signify a real return to prominence. They had two chances this week but lost to No. 1 Duke at home and to No. 16 Maryland on the road. They hung with the Blue Devils for a half before falling 87-65, then had a good chance to beat the Terrapins in a 63-60 setback.

    Still, at 13-5 overall and 3-2 in the ACC, the Cavaliers are in good shape and will have more chances against ranked opponents. After hosting Dartmouth on Sunday, they will face No. 23 Virginia Tech next Friday.

    For more information on UVa women's basketball, please see the link below.

  • UVa Women's Basketball

    2005 football schedule features tough trio

    Lucky Virginia. Only two ACC football teams have to play Miami, Florida State and Virginia Tech next season, and the Cavaliers are one of them.

    It's certainly going to be a challenging 2005 season for the Wahoos, who will face seven 2004 bowl teams and must travel to Syracuse, Maryland, Boston College, North Carolina and Miami. FSU and Virginia Tech highlight a six-game home schedule that also includes less-exciting matchups against Western Michigan, Temple, Duke and Georgia Tech.

    For read the Sabre's story on the 2005 schedule, please see the link below.

  • Football Schedule Unveiled for 2005

    Women's lacrosse ranked No. 1 in preseason

    The Cavalier women's lacrosse team will begin the 2005 season where it left off in 2004 - at No. 1.

    Virginia returns nine starters from the team that upset Princeton in the national championship game last May, including Tewaaraton Trophy winner Amy Appelt. The Tigers are close behind at No. 2 in the preseason Lacrosse Magazine poll.

    The UVa men's team, meanwhile, is ranked No. 6 in the magazine's preseason poll. The Cavs are coming off their first losing season in 17 years but have plenty of talent. Johns Hopkins is No. 1, folllowed by defending national champion Syracuse.

  •    What's New on TheSabre.com?

    Johnny Holliday the featured guest on CavTalk

  • CavTalk Archives

    Johnny Holliday, the longtime "Voice of the Terrapins," was the featured guest on Tuesday's edition of CavTalk, hosted by Greg Waters and Mike Andrews. Other guests included UVa baseball coach Brian O'Connor and UVa assistant women's basketball coach Tim Taylor. Edge subscribers can listen to the show at the link above.

    Sabre Edge articles and columns from the past week

  • Ask The Experts: Ty Smith, John Galinsky

    Image: Ty SmithIn this installment of "Ask the Experts," Ty Smith answers your questions about defense. A college assistant coach for 22 years, Smith was the defensive coordinator at Louisville, Purdue and Baylor, and also spent three years at UVa on George Welsh's staff. He explains how to defend the option, the evolution of the zone blitz and the difficulty of finding and developing a "shutdown corner." He also describes the way he coached CBs to look for the ball.

  • Miller Discusses Decision to Go Pro, TheSabre.com

    Image: Heath MillerHeath Miller held a press conference to discuss his recent decision to forego his final season of eligibility and apply for the NFL draft. He talked about the reasons for his choice, his progress as a player, the influence of Al Groh and the way he chose an agent. He also revealed that he underwent surgery for a "sports hernia" that bothered him most of the season. This is an audio clip of Miller's chat with reporters at the McCue Center.

  • JPJ Arena Fundraisers to Target All Donors, John Galinsky

    Image: JPJ ArenaThey've already hit up the millionaires. Now they're asking the rest of us to help out. UVa officials held a press conference today to announce that they are starting the next phase of fundraising for John Paul Jones Arena. Having secured $94 million of the necessary $129.8 million from a relatively small number of big-money donors, Virginia will now begin aggressively seeking contributions from its entire donor base of 10,000.

  • 2004 Season Grades: Defense & Special Teams, Greg Waters

    Image: Defensive Coordinator Al GoldenStatistically, the Virginia defense had a good season. The maligned run defense finished 18th in the nation. The Cavaliers limited seven teams to 16 points or less and continued a trend that has occurred throughout the Groh era, lowering its scoring defense from 20.4 points per game in 2003 to 17.7 in 2004. But it was in the four losses that the defense collectively averaged a C (73.4), and that was the difference between a pretty good season and a special season.

    Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week

    Our resident recruiting expert, Chris Horne, provides updates for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please see the sign-up promotion below. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

    Football

  • UVa Makes Final Visit with Simpson
  • Pitts Down to 2
  • Gresham Has 3 Finalists
  • Monroe Updates Injury
  • One Visit Remains for Newell
  • Simpson to Decide Soon

  •    Sabre Edge

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    All of the great Sabre Edge content can be yours for the price of $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Try it for a month and cancel if you like. But we think you'll get hooked on the Edge and find out for yourself why the most knowledgeable Cavalier fans are Edge subscribers.

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