What's with the mainstream media these days?

Will Dave Odom be UVa's next coach? Who knows?

On Monday the Washington Post reported that Virginia had offered its basketball coaching job to Dave Odom, who was supposedly poised to accept. Wrong. A day later, Channel 29 in Charlottesville reported that Odom and UVa had agreed on a contract and the announcement would come this week. Wrong. The Daily Progress reported Wednesday that DePaul's Dave Leitao would be visiting UVa that day. Wrong.

So far, much of the reporting on the Cavalier coaching search has been inaccurate, misleading or misinformed. Nevertheless, I'm not going to bash my media buddies. After all, having worked at newspapers for years, I know how it is. You want to get the scoop. You think you have solid information. You trust your sources. Sometimes you get burned. It's not always bad reporting, but it sure makes you look bad when you're wrong.

Still, it puts those of us in charge of fan websites in an awkward position. If everyone else is running with rumors and printing stuff that's not, shall we say, journalistically sound, what role does that leave for us? Hey, aren't we supposed to be the irresponsible ones?

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Basketball recruiting...

Laurynas Mikalauskas

Laurynas Mikalauskas turned in a very solid performance in last Friday's Commonwealth Classic. The 6-8, 240-pound power forward scored 17 points (6-6 from the field, 5-7 from the line) and grabbed 11 rebounds in helping the Virginia All-Stars capture a 147-131 victory over the National All-Stars.

Mikalauskas played his usual physical brand of basketball on the night.

"I just tried to compete as hard as I could," Mikalauskas said. "I tried to run up and down the court and get every single rebound I could, play defense and do the dirty work. That's what I do. I don't care how good they are. I just want to play."

Mamadi Diane had a quiet performance. He didn't force up any shots or try to do anything special, but, like he did in so many games for DeMatha Catholic, he did whatever was needed to help the team win.

"I knew from practice and all that everybody was going to try and come out here and showcase," said Diane, who finished with seven points (3-7 from the field including 1-3 from 3-point range), six rebounds, and three assists. "So really I just tried to do all the little things like pass more, rebound well and just hustle. I didn't take too many shots. It was just a fun game overall."

Diane and Mikalauskas both are very much committed to UVa despite Pete Gillen's resignation. They will join Cherry Creek (Denver, CO) center Sam Warren as freshmen next season.

For more from Diane and Mikalauskas, check out the 2005 Commonwealth Classic Report on the Sabre Edge. Included in the report are Q&A's with both prospects.

Football recruiting...

Thomas Stone (Waldorf, MD) middle linebacker Nekos Brown visited UVa for a spring practice this week. The visit turned out to be a fruitful one, as the 6-3, 225-pound recruit picked up his first scholarship offer. UVa is the clear leader for Brown, who is also receiving attention from Georgia Tech, Maryland and Virginia Tech, according to his head coach, Steve Lindsay. Brown would project as an inside linebacker for UVa.

As a junior last season, Brown had 65 tackles with seven sacks at the defensive tackle position. He only played defensive tackle to help his team, which had lost several linemen from the previous class. He played middle linebacker as a sophomore and will likely move back for his senior season.

Besides Brown, another top UVa target who made his way down for a practice is Moore Catholic wide receiver Vidal Hazelton. The 6-3, 195-pound Hazelton is considered one of the top prospects in the East. He averaged 20 yards per catch last season and 34 yards per kick return. Along with Virginia (which may have the early edge), Auburn, Miami, Boston College, Syracuse and Oklahoma State are among the program that have offered.

Some 2005 UVa signees have attended spring practice as well. Jeffrey Fitzgerald, Jason Fuller, John Phillips and Jameel Sewell have been to a practice, while Vic Hall and Kevin Ogletree both plan to make their way to Charlottesville in the coming weeks.

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So, 'Hoos it gonna be?

The Tubby Smith speculation hasn't been squashed yet.

Dave Leitao? Tubby Smith? Dave Odom? Marc Iavaroni? Mike Brey? Those are the names most often mentioned in media reports and the message boards connected to the UVa coaching search. But as the search approaches its four-week point, it's getting harder to separate truth from fiction. Is Leitao interested? Will Tubby listen? Is Iavaroni a viable option? Were all the Odom reports flat-out wrong or simply premature?

Understandably, UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage isn't providing daily updates to the media. He says he'll talk once the new coach is signed and sealed. The possible coaching candidates also aren't being clear about their interest in the job. That's also understandable. It's bad form to sound excited about leaving your current job until you have a new one.

But the silence and lack of solid information have made this search seem especially strange. Some would say it's been chaotic and bungled. I prefer to say it has a little extra mystery and intrigue. Let the speculation continue!

Spring football enters second week

Marques Hagans is back at work as UVa's starting quarterback.

In one week, the Virginia football team has dealt with pouring rain, gusting winds and scorching heat. Many of its best players are out with injuries. And some positions are extremely thin - for instance, Jonathan Stupar is the only healthy tight end.

Still, UVa coach Al Groh says spring practices are going just fine. Despite the missing bodies and funky weather, the Cavaliers accomplished what they intended during the first week, and we were there watching during the three open practices last weekend.

We saw #33 tearing through the Cavalier defense. We saw some surprising developments in the receiving corps. We saw some troubling signs in the secondary. Heck, we saw a lot of things, and we wrote about them in our blogs and practice reports for Edge subscribers below.

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!