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SabreMail - Feb. 25th, 2005 |
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Many fans find themselves discouraged with the state of UVa athletics these days. The football season was mildly disappointing, at least in terms of how it finished. The men's basketball program has been a mediocrity for years and has taken a turn for the worse this season. For those who really care about the university, however, this isn't a bad time to remember that there are many reasons to be proud of Cavalier athletics. Just look at what's going on behind the scenes with the so-called "minor" sports. Women's lacrosse is ranked #1, men's tennis #2, men's lacrosse #6, men's swimming #10 and women's swimming #13. The women's basketball team is 18-9 and the baseball team is off to another good start after making the NCAA tournament last year. Yeah, yeah, I know. For most fans, success in other sports is small consolation when the "Big Two" aren't performing well. There's no point pretending that a national championship in women's lacrosse produces the same excitement, generates the same revenue or brings the same prestige as a football title. But hey, it's not meaningless, either. There is plenty of value in a well-rounded athletic program that strives to compete at a high level in every sport. And for a university with a mission to achieve excellence in all things academic and athletic, it's nice to know that many Wahoo teams are living up to those ideals.
John Galinsky |
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Recruiting News |
This Week In Recruiting By Chris Horne Football recruiting... UVa's February 19th junior day went very well, even snagging the Cavaliers their first commitment for the 2006 class. George Johnson Jr., a 6-4, 235-pound outside linebacker/tight end recruit, committed to the 'Hoos during halftime of last weekend's Maryland basketball game. A terrific athlete for his size, Johnson, who can run around a 4.5 in the 40 and plays center for the basketball team, is an all-South Jersey performer for Glassboro (N.J.) High School. He has recorded over 100 tackles each of the past two seasons and has 30 total sacks in that time. UVa assistant Mike Groh was Johnson's main recruiter. UVa came close to snagging a commitment from Moore Catholic (Staten Island, NY) wide receiver Vidal Hazelton. Hazelton, who has early offers from Maryland, Miami and UVa, was going to "officially" commit but, after discussing the situation with his parents, decided to hold off. Hazelton will visit a few schools unofficially before making a final decision. Hazelton's parents, who did not make the visit to UVa last weekend, wanted to see UVa first before Vidal made any kind of commitment. Several top in-state targets with UVa offers who made the visit to UVa last weekend include Highland Springs LB Jarrell Miller, Westfield RB Evan Royster, Landstown WR Damon McDaniel (though he had to leave early) and Meadowbrook DE John Graves.
For more recruiting information and updates, please see Sabre Edge.
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News, Notes and Fan Discussion |
Wahoos lose heartbreaker to Terps
The 92-89 defeat in double overtime essentially snuffed out any hopes for an NCAA tournament bid and probably sealed the fate of embattled coach Pete Gillen, who will likely be fired at the end of the season. Still, it was nice to see the Cavs compete against a talented team and not fold under adversity. Singletary (a freshman) and Forbes (a sophomore) also created more reasons for optimism about the future. The present, however, remains bleak. Virginia (13-11, 4-9 ACC) plays at No. 6 Wake Forest on Sunday, then faces N.C. State in its final home game on Wednesday. For the Sabre's story on the Maryland game, please see the link below.
Edge subscribers can also read J.D. Moss's excellent profile of Sean Singletary here.
Women's basketball goes 1-1 vs. ranked teams At this time last week, the UVa women's basketball team had won 17 games, a nice improvement over last year's 13-16 final mark. But the Cavaliers had failed to beat a ranked opponent until Sunday, when they upset No. 21 Maryland 63-61 at University Hall. Senior forward LaTonya Blue scored a career-high 29 points and did not commit a turnover in earning ACC player of the week honors. Alas, the 'Hoos couldn't turn the same trick Thursday in Chapel Hill. They were buried by No. 8 North Carolina, 89-60, their worst loss ever to the Tar Heels. Still, at 18-9 overall and 7-6 in the ACC, they are in good shape for an NCAA tournament bid. They finish the regular season with a home game against Wake Forest on Sunday at 2. For more information on UVa women's basketball, please see the link below.
Men's tennis soars to No. 2 The Cavaliers knocked on the door of the national tennis elite last year. Now they may be knocking it down. Virginia defeated three top-10 teams at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago last week. Entering the tournament ranked #9, they beat #7 Stanford, #2 UCLA and #6 Mississippi before losing to #1 Baylor in the title match. Because of that, Brian Boland's team vaulted to #2 in the rankings this week. The Cavs face Virginia Tech tonight in their ACC opener at the Boar's Head Sports Club, then play No. 24 Notre Dame in Richmond on Sunday. For more information on UVa men's tennis, please see the link below.
Baseball team gets hot at home
After starting the season 2-2 on the road, the Cavaliers won their first four home games by a combined score of 30-5. They swept a three-game series against Bucknell last weekend, then dominated Old Dominion 8-0 on Wednesday, avenging a 9-6 loss at ODU the previous week. The 'Hoos continue their homestand this weekend with a three-game series against Fordham. Today's game was postponed because of yesterday's snow storm, so the teams will play a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday. For more information on UVa baseball, please see the link below.
Men's swimming goes for seventh straight ACC title Halfway through the ACC men's swimming and diving championships in Atlanta, the Cavaliers are well on their way to continuing their conference reign. Despite a disqualification in the 200 medley relay that temporarily dropped them into ninth place, the Wahoos were back in first at the end of Thursday's races. Among the winners for Virginia were Fran Crippen (500 free), Pat Mellors (200 IM), and the 800 free relay and 200 free relay teams. Winner of the past six ACC championships, UVa now has 250 points, followed by Florida State (204) and North Carolina (180.5). Two days of competition remain, today and tomorrow. The UVa women placed second in last week's ACC meet after winning the previous two titles. For more information on UVa swimming and diving, please see the link below.
What's New on TheSabre.com? |
O'Connor the featured guest on CavTalk
UVa baseball coach Brian O'Connor was the featured guest on Tuesday's edition of CavTalk, hosted by Greg Waters and Mike Andrews. Also on the show was Jed Williams, host of the sports talk radio show "The Best Seat in the House," and Stan Cotton, the "Voice of the Demon Deacons." Edge subscribers can listen to an archive of the show here. Sabre Edge articles and columns from the past week
They say kickers are misunderstood. If so, Jake McInerney may help you understand them better. Jake was UVa's starting kicker in 1989 and 1990. He led the ACC in scoring in '90 and still holds the school records for consecutive field goals (14) and extra points (88). In this installment of "Ask the Experts," he answers your questions about getting "iced" by timeouts, the importance of a proper snap and hold, kicking technique, squib kickoffs, the difference between kickers and other football players, and why so few high school kickers are offered scholarships.
Anyone who has watched Sean Singletary this season knows how tough Virginia's freshman point guard is physically and mentally, but why? Is it from playing on Philly playgrounds? Is it from his summer battles with NBA players? Is it from watching both parents battle cancer? Is it the influence of his brother, now fighting in Iraq? Is it from learning to deal with all kinds of injuries and adversity? The answer: All of the above.
Mike Brown's high school resume speaks for itself. The first ever four-year starter at St. Peter's Prep, he led the program to a 39-4 record. He starred at both running back and cornerback, once scoring three touchdowns and grabbing two interceptions in the same game. His total all-county selections (4) doubled the number of touchdowns he allowed in his career (2). The only problem? Brown proved to be such an outstanding defender that opposing quarterbacks refused to throw to his side of the field.
The Virginia Cavaliers won 44 games in 2004 because they did the little things well. When the Wahoos got men on base, they usually scored. When they needed to make routine fielding plays, they usually made them. And when they had a lead late, they usually won. Last Wednesday they didn't do any of those things in a loss to Old Dominion, but they bounced back to do just about everything right in a three-game sweep of Bucknell.
With 18:42 to go in the first half of Saturday's game, following a Maryland turnover, the look on Nik Caner-Medley's face said, "It looks like it's going to be a long afternoon." Forty minutes, two overtimes, 14 lead changes, 10 ties and 10 Elton Brown misses at the charity stripe later, Caner-Medley's Terrapins left University Hall with a hard fought 92-89 double-overtime victory. Any hopes of postseason play for Pete Gillen's Cavaliers were probably reduced to an NIT bid as the 'Hoos fell to 13-11 overall and 4-9 in ACC. 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
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