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 SabreMail - April 22nd, 2005 |
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Recruiting NewsThis Week In Recruiting By Chris Horne Football recruiting... UVa is close to signing the 23rd member of the 2005 recruiting class. Mission Bay High School (San Diego, CA) 6-0, 225-pound prospect Darren Childs has been accepted by the UVa admissions office. UVa assistant coach Danny Rocco was planning to fax his scholarship papers last night. Childs is expected to sign a letter of intent in the next few days. Childs projects as a middle linebacker in UVa's 3-4 defense. He averaged 10-12 tackles per game last season, according to Mission Bay coach Dennis Pugh. Childs made an official visit to UVa last weekend and obviously impressed the coaching staff, as they offered before he left. UVa had seen video on Childs two weeks before the official visit. After missing out on inside linebackers Lamont Robinson and Darryl Gresham, Childs appears to be a solid find for the staff. Some top 2006 recruits plan to turn out for the UVa spring game on Saturday. Some players who may be in attendance include Thomas Stone HS (Waldorf, MD) LB Nekos Brown, Meadowbrook outside linebacker/defensive end John Graves, top receiver target Vidal Hazelton, highly touted Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, PA) RB LaSean McCoy and Highland Springs linebacker Jarrell Miller. Look for updates on these prospects and information on other prospects in attendance following this weekend. Basketball recruiting... UVa signees Mamadi Diane and Laurynas Mikalauskas will play in another all-star game. After being on the same team in the Commonwealth Classic, Diane and Mikalauskas will be on opposing teams in tonight's Capital Classic. The game will be played at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University. Doors open at 4:00 pm, with the Capital Classic tipping off around 8:00 pm. Diane, who scored 7 points and had 6 rebounds in the Commonwealth Classic, will play for the Capital All-Stars. Mikalauskas, who had 17 points and 11 boards in the Commonwealth Classic, will play for the U.S. All-Stars. TheSabre.com plans to catch up with each prospect this weekend for comments on tonight's game as well as their thoughts on new UVa coach Dave Leitao.
For more recruiting information and updates, please see Sabre Edge.
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News, Notes and Fan DiscussionPost of the Week Our very own BoardHost chimes in on a discussion about the role of Internet message boards in college athletics...
Subject: I'll never get this
UVA has been a leader in this respect (this site has been fully credentialled since 1998 - no other independent ACC site can say that). No one at UVA openly lashes out against the Internet. There are some that wish this site would go away so that the official site would get more advertising revenue, but most of the staff at UVA can actually see the forest for the trees and appreciate what we've done and what we're doing. Littlepage for one is appreciative of what we've done - Holland was as well. Perhaps Casteen doesn't like us, but that's in part to the firestorm he caused on two occasions. The first was his plight to remove the V-Sabres logo from our athletics programs. The second was his decision to go to bat for Virginia Tech with regard to the ACC. The Internet has served UVA well over the years with getting out important information and rallying support for their programs. But the Internet is a give and take situation. Schools are always going to take some hits from the fans and alumni, but they get a ton in return in the way of fan support and donations. Fan discussion forums will never go away, and it's a shame that some folks (i.e. Weaver at VT) cannot come to grips with that. Discussion forums should be appreciated for what they are, which is a community where fans can gather to discuss and support their teams. While these forums can be extremely critical at times, they can also be a big winner when it comes to filling up stadiums and arenas, or gathering financial support. The Internet is also a valuable tool for promotions and marketing departments to guage effectiveness of various events and other areas of concern (like mascots, logos, sound and video systems, etc). When schools and their athletic programs stop listening to what their fans have to say, they're basically deciding to run their program blind. And when you're asking for a large chunk of your budget to be funded by your fans, you'd better be listening to what they have to say. UVA has been listening as far as I can tell. For the complete thread containing this post, please click the link below.
Let the Leitoanium begin!
"We want to build not for today, not just for tomorrow, but for long-lasting success. That's what I'm about. That's been my history," Leitao said last Sunday after being introduced as UVa's head coach. "I really don't know it any other way. I don't like nor do I know a whole lot about failure. So I enter into this process knowing that winning is something we will do. I believe that in the bottom of my heart." That kind of confidence and optimism has to be exciting for a Cavalier fanbase that saw Pete Gillen become increasingly frazzled and dark-humored during his seven years on the job. Hopefully Leitao won't be worn down by the challenges he will face. After all, he inherits a last-place ACC team nearly devoid of frontcourt talent. But fans also shouldn't expect any miracles. Let Leitao build his own program in his own way, and we'll see if that leads to long-lasting success. Immediate results may be asking too much. Here are some free Sabre articles on Leitao's hiring.
Spring Game (of sorts) to be held tomorrow
That won't be the case tomorrow when the Cavaliers hold their annual spring "festival" at Scott Stadium. The team's roster has been decimated at certain positions by injury, illness and other issues. For instance, there's only one tight end, just one true nose tackle and not enough inside linebackers. So the spring game will merely be a scrimmage between the offense and defense. Of course, that doesn't mean it won't be fun. If nothing else, come out to mingle with your fellow fans, tailgate a little bit and get a sneak preview of the 2005 Wahoos. Gates open at noon and there will be various entertainment options available before the players take the field at 2 p.m. Saturday's event will mark the culmination of an interesting spring for the Cavs. They may be missing a bunch of players, but several intriguing storylines have developed over the past month. Edge subscribers can read these practice reports below.
We'll have in-depth coverage of the spring game and plenty of post-spring analysis, so please click here to sign up for Sabre Edge. Around the Wahoo sports world...
For more information on UVa athletics, please see their official website below.
For the Sabre's weekly update on UVa baseball, please see the link below.
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What's New on TheSabre.com?Sabre Edge articles and columns from the past week
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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About a dozen players expected to play significant roles next season have missed all or part of the spring practice period because of injuries and other reasons. But that doesn't mean it's been a waste of time. On the contrary, for a number of Cavaliers, this month has been an ideal time to spring forward, both in their development and on the depth chart. Here are five young guys who have seem to have made substantial progress. None played major roles last season, but thanks to their performances this spring you may be seeing a lot more of them in the fall.
Al Groh says he has been pleased by the progress of his secondary this spring. That's a good thing considering how poor Virginia's pass defense was last season. The Cavalier defensive backs seem to have a better grasp of the 3-4 defense and they are working hard on the technical side of pass coverage under Al Golden. There are still many concerns about this unit, but it's been encouraging to see individual and collective improvement during spring practices.
To say that Virginia struggled at wide receiver last season would be an understatement. Only two Cavalier wideouts caught more than seven passes last year and one of them (Michael McGrew) graduated. So the WRs were one of the major question marks and priorities entering spring ball. And with the spring game just four days away, it's safe to say they remain so. Drops and other problems have plagued the wideouts throughout the spring, but there is also plenty of talent at the position and reasons for optimism, including the emergence of Theirrien Davis.
Bummer. I have to miss the spring game to be best man at a friend's wedding next Saturday. Note to self: Ditch all friends who fail to schedule important life events around UVa sports. That means this practice is my last chance to check out the Cavaliers before they reconvene in August. Better watch closely. Soak it all in, then spit out astute observations and insightful comments. Or just ramble like a lunatic. Forgive me. It's my final football fix for four months!
