In a surprising if suspiciously timed April Fools Day announcement, athletic director Craig Littlepage named TheSabre.com as Virginia's new men's basketball coach. Fans with message board accounts now have full control of the program.

"Those guys clearly know everything about basketball and how to coach, plus they are passionate about Cavalier athletics," Littlepage said. "To be honest, I don't know why I didn't think of this before. It's a perfect fit."

Starting immediately, all coaching decisions will be made on the Sabre basketball message board. During games, a laptop will be placed on the table next to the UVa bench. Posters will be able to call timeouts, make substitutions, change defenses and berate officials.

At the same time, UVa football coach Al Groh announced that TheSabre.com will take control of the offensive play-calling this season. Ron Prince will monitor the football message board to find out the best way to utilize Marques Hagans. Posters also will be allowed to scrap the 3-4 and install a defensive scheme of their choosing.

"It's about time we were given a more active role," said Sabre editor John Galinsky, who quickly changed the school's apparel contract from Nike to Gucci. "Next up: World domination."

The grass is turning green, the birds are singin' and the evil greenskeepers are figuring out how to add as many strokes to your game as possible. Fortunately, TheSabreShop.com can keep YOU looking good on the links... even if your score card doesn't.

click here	Gold V-Sabres Marker and Repair Tool Only $9.99! This gold plated divot tool features the V-Sabres logo deep etched into the removeable ball marker. This fine tool may not help your game, but it WILL look very nice when you pull it out to fix your divot on that par 3.
click here	V-Sabres Embroidered Putter Cover Only $19.99! V-Sabres logo embroidered cover for blade putters. Made of rich acrylic navy blue pile and taupe trim. Stylish, top quality protection for your club.
click here	V-Sabres Shoe and Valuables Bag Only $29.99! Need a place to keep your golf shoes? Our navy blue shoe bag is just the ticket. Features mesh sides and a zippered valuables pocket. The V-Sabres logo is embroidered the front panel of this durable bag.
click here	V-Sabres Golf Towel Only $14.95! This 16"x26" heavyweight towel by Toppers is the perfect touch for your golf bag. Plush terry velour handsomely embroidered with a large V-Sabres logo. Patented lock clip prevents accidental detachment. Navy blue.

Please feel free to browse the great selection of items we've got in-stock and ready to ship. Hundreds of items - Secure shopping - Fast, reliable shipping!

Basketball recruiting...

Two UVa recruits will be on display at the 2005 Commonwealth Classic. The event, which will be held at the Siegel Center on the campus of VCU tonight, features 6-5, 180-pound DeMatha Catholic wing guard/forward Mamadi Diane and 6-8, 240-pound Blue Ridge School power forward Laurynas Mikalauskas.

Mamadi Diane

After observing part of practice last night, I was particularly impressed with Diane. Diane has a nice-looking jump shot, solid athleticism and very good jumping ability. He's a little thin right now, but once he gets bigger and stronger he should become even more athletic and be able to move more fluidly. He should be able to contribute solid minutes next season and is probably the best player in UVa's 2005 recruiting class.

Mikalauskas is a physical, tough player in the post. He is a good rebounder and has a pretty good touch on his shot. While he is an excellent leaper, Mikalauskas does need to improve his quickness and overall athleticism. But he should be able to help UVa next season on the boards and ought to be able to contribute some points.

Tonight's event begins at 6:15 with the Old Dominion game, which is immediately followed by the National game featuring Diane and Mikalauskas. Other prospects on display in the National game include Virginia Tech power forward recruit Terrance Vinson, North Carolina guard recruit Marcus Ginyard, N.C. State guard/forward recruit Courtney Fells and Wake Forest signees Kevin Swinton (power forward) and David Weaver (center).

Football recruiting...

Another in-state prospect has received an offer from UVa. Varina running back Brandon Minor picked up an offer from the Cavs late last week. Minor now has offers from a bunch of ACC schools, including Clemson, Miami, N.C. State, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Florida, Michigan, Nebraska and Oklahoma are among his other scholarship offers. Right now, Minor is leaning toward the out-of-state schools and names Florida, Miami, Michigan and Nebraska as his favorites.

Please join me in welcoming TheSabre.com's newest sponsor, Glenmore Country Club. Gorgeous place, Glenmore. I know some folks who live there, including Al Groh. I've played its golf course once or twice. I've checked out the plush clubhouse.

Now Glenmore invites you to check it out, too. Become a corporate or non-resident member and enjoy golf on its 18-hole, par-72 championship course and all the club facilities. Corporate golf outings, boardroom meetings, formal dining and elegant catering for special events are open to non-members.

In the coming weeks, we'll be introducing you to the many services that Glenmore offers, all of which are listed above. Until then, please check out Glenmore's website for an overview.

Coaching search continues for Cavs

Eighteen days after Pete Gillen stepped down as UVa men's basketball coach, we still don't know who the leading candidates are to replace him. But this week gave us a pretty good idea of who won't be coming to Charlottesville.

Kentucky's Tubby Smith told his athletic director Tuesday that he intends to fulfill his current contract with the Wildcats, while West Virginia's John Beilein signed a contract extension with the Mountaineers on Thursday. The Hampton Roads Daily Press also reported today that Texas's Rick Barnes isn't interested in the job.

Most of the speculation now revolves around Phoenix Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni, DePaul's Dave Leitao, George Washington's Karl Hobbs, Marquette's Tom Crean and Notre Dame's Mike Brey. Of course, UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage may have other candidates in mind. My sources tell me Virginia might still pursue Smith unless he makes it absolutely clear he won't listen.

Football enters spring practice shorthanded

Ahmad Brooks is recovering from minor knee surgery.

Virginia opens the spring practice period today without many of its best players. Coach Al Groh said yesterday that the following would likely miss the entire spring because of injury and illness: LB Ahmad Brooks (knee), DE Brennan Schmidt (shoulder), NT Keenan Carter (shoulder), tailback Michael Johnson (hernia), TE Tom Santi (shoulder), K Connor Hughes (mono) and LB Bryan White (back).

In addition, LB Vince Redd will sit out the spring to focus on academics, LB Kai Parham (shoulder) and G Brian Barthelmes (wrist) will be limited during drills, QB Christian Olsen (foot) will miss the first three days of practice and QB Marques Hagans probably will miss today's practice to attend a funeral.

Five of the team's 15 practices are open to the public on the fields behind University Hall: Today (5:45 p.m.); Saturday, April 2 (noon); Sunday, April 3 (2:45 p.m.); Sunday, April 10 (TBA) and Sunday, April 17 (TBA).

Highlights and lowlights of the past week...

Sabre Edge articles and columns from the past week

Every month, Sabre Edge provides you with exclusive articles, columns, special features, interviews and recruiting news, including daily recruiting updates. There's even a special message board just for subscribers. And to top it off, you get 10 percent off all of your online purchases through TheSabreShop.com during your subscription.

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.

If you're a true Wahoo, then the Sabre Edge is right for you. Check it out!