Let the Countdown Begin

Christian Olsen is probably ready to get the season started too.

TheSabre.com pulled its football countdown clock out of the attic recently so Hoo fans could start clicking off the days until the opener. But with July 1 set to peel off the calendar this weekend, serious football fanatics are surely itching for practice to arrive.

Never fear, The Sabre has your football fix ready to roll in July. We'll have stories scouting the ACC, the top ACC players in each class, Virginia's schedule, what the Hoos can expect, and more Hoo news to boot.

So get your summer vacation out of your system and then come back home with shoulder pads and helmets in tow. After all, the countdown can't reach zero fast enough!

Kris Wright
TheSabre.com
Editor

At least one recruit from the 2006 class will not ever attend the University of Virginia.

Gavin Smith, the 6-2, 270-pound defensive tackle prospect out of Wakefield High School in Raleigh (N.C.), was officially denied by Admissions earlier this week. He had an opportunity to head to Fork Union Military Academy but, for several reasons, does not want to go in that direction.

Smith had known for at least a month that there was a chance he would have to attend Fork Union, so this week's news does not come as a complete surprise. Smith was "devastated" at not being able to get to Virginia according to his mother [DeAnn Smith], but wants to play Division 1 football this fall and is looking to head elsewhere.

Smith, who had a qualifying SAT score, had a poor final semester in the classroom (mainly due to personal reasons) and this was presumably the main reason why he was denied admission.

Matoaca's Kris Burd turned in an excellent performance in the 7-on-7 competition as well as individual workouts and now seems to be back on the UVa staff's target list. The 6-1, 180-pound standout has an official offer from UVa as well as offers from Maryland and Richmond, but the staff had not been recruiting him heavily over the past month-and-a-half or so.

UVa is high on Burd's list, although he wants to visit at least one other school (likely Maryland) before committing anywhere.

Now, for the new.

Halifax (South Boston, VA) wide receiver Patrick Terry was on the recruiting radar of college coaches before his performance at last Saturday's 7-on-7, but his name only recently got out in the public. The 6-0½, 182-pound standout boasts written offers from Duke and Maryland and offers are likely on the way from North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.

Terry, who could make a decision next month, is visiting Maryland, Virginia, and Virginia Tech in late June or early July. He has already been to Maryland and, of course, to UVa.

As a junior last season, Terry racked up 46 catches for 829 yards and scored nine touchdowns. He earned first-team All-Western Valley District honors for his performance.

A standout in track as well, Terry has run a 10.69 in the 100-meter dash.

A few other players to watch in the coming months are Riverdale (GA) 6-2, 170-pound wide receiver Rashad Tukes and 6-0, 180-pound Lawrenceville Prep (N.J.) standout cornerback/wide receiver Calvin Otis. Both players performed well this week.

Glenmore Country Club, nestled near the Blue Ridge Mountains just outside Charlottesville, is one of the most beautiful places in the Commonwealth. Just ask Al Groh, who lives there. But you don't have to be a resident (or a football coach) to enjoy what Glenmore has to offer.

Become a corporate or non-resident member and enjoy golf on its 18-hole, par-72 championship course designed by architect John LaFoy. Treat your employees or clients to a round they won't forget. Or host a fundraising tournament there.

While you're at it, how about holding your next board meeting in the Pinnacle Room at Glenmore? Enjoy lunch and an afternoon round of golf. Please check out Glenmore's Web site to learn more about all their great services.

Thank you for actively supporting the sponsors of TheSabre.com. Sponsorships are a critical component of our business and sponsors' success will permit us to continually improve our services to you, our community.

Thread of the Week

Subject: Any guesses on starters and our rotation next season?
Posted by: RaleighHOO on Mon Jun 26 2006 8:36:32 AM

Sean Singletary is likely a lock to start. Who else will crack the line-up?

Message:Assuming Tat gets in here for the Fall with no delay. Here are the main comeptitors for playing time on the roster:

Sean Singletary Jr. PG 5-11
JR Reynolds Sr. SG 6-2
Adrian Joseph Jr. F 6-7
Jason Cain Sr. F 6-10
Laurynas MikalauskasSo. C 6-8
Mamadi Diane So. SG 6-5
Tj Bannister Sr. PG 5-10
Tunji Sorroye So. C 6-10
Will Harris Fr. SF 6-6
Jamil Tucker Fr. SF 6-9
Ryan Pettinella So. PF 6-9
Jerome Meyinsse Fr. C 6-9
Solomon Tat Fr. SG 6-5

I think I am safe in saying the only guarranteed starters are SS and JR. Here would be my prediction for the starting 5, but of course this is all speculation and will change once practices begin.

Singletary, Reynolds, Harris, Tucker, Lars

Key bench players (10 to 20 minutes per game): Cain, Tat, Joseph, Sorroye

Secondary Bench players (5 to 10 minutes per game): Bannister, Diane, Pettinella, Meyinsee

The hardest for me to judge would be who gets more playing time between Sorroye, Pettinella, Meyinsee. I think Lars and Cain get the most minutes down low, with whoever plays hardest on defense and rebounding getting the most time behind them. My guess is this will be Sorroye, but I dont know much about Petinella or Meyinsee. Perhaps they will be just as good on defense and the boards as Sorroye and have more offensive game thus more playing time? The other question will be with our building depth on the wing, how does playing time shake out betwee Diane and Joseph? It seems Harris and Tucker and Tat will get plenty of PT. Thoughts?

Subject: Re: Any guesses on starters and our rotation next season?
Posted by: Orangebluewahoo on Wed Jun 28 2006 3:30:10 AM
Message: I am not as concerned with who starts as I am with who is in at the end of a close game. It is possible that Soroye may start just to give us the best chance on the jump ball and then be replaced on the first dead ball. The players on the court in the last five minutes of a 3-point game (assuming no foul problems) are the players on whom the coaching staff will rely. We have the depth this year to go big or go small. I would not be at all surprised to see us start a variety of lineups depending on the ability and matchups with the opponents.

Subject: Early season = SS, JR, Diane, Cain, and Soroye.
Posted by: Mountain Hoo on Mon Jun 26 2006 1:35:53 PM
Message: I don't think Leitao will start any freshmen right away, but will give them opportunities to earn a starting spot based upon their play ingames. Soroye starts for the tip-off and Lars comes in early and sees the most minutes at the 5, so Lars will really be the first-string center. AJ, Tat, Harris, and Tucker might play their way into starting postitions. If the light comes on for Soroye, with his added bulk, he may secure a lot of time at center, and we may see Soroye and Lars with significant minutes together against bigger lineups.

Head over to the Sabre's Men's Basketball Message Board to read the entire thread!

The Sabre's Opponent Sites' Directory

Pittsburgh (Official) Panther Lair Panther Digest

With football season approaching fast, many Virginia fans might be interested in what the Cavaliers' opponents are up to this summer. Well, the Sabre has saved you some research time. Much like the Pittsburgh example seen here (the Panthers are the Hoos' opening opponent), all of the Web sites for the football and basketball teams' opponents have been linked in our Other Sites section. That makes it easy to check up on UVa's opponents before the opening kickoff!

Gooooaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllll!

The World Cup takes center stage this month as soccer teams from around the globe compete in Germany. Want to discuss the action with fellow futbol fanactics? We've got you covered! The Sabre's Soccer Message Board is the perfect place to rant and rave about the World Cup.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

Matt Poskay and the Hoos won the National Championship, which helped UVa in the Director's Cup.

• Virginia Places 26th in Director's Cup: Virginia placed 26th overall in the 2005-06 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup competition for the NCAA Division I schools. It marked the 13th consecutive year, since the program first started, the Cavaliers have recorded a top-30 finish. A total of 20 of UVa's 24 athletic programs advanced to postseason play in 2005-06, including 17 that competed or were represented in NCAA championship events.
• Cavaliers Dominate First-Ever Academic All-ACC Team for Rowing: Seven-time defending league champion Virginia placed a league-high 16 student-athletes on the inaugural All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Rowing Team, as announced by Commissioner John D. Swofford on Thursday. All six conference schools that sponsor rowing are represented on the team.
• Billy Campbell Named To ACC Academic Men's Basketball Team: University of Virginia guard Billy Campbell has been named to the 2006 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Men's Basketball Team as announced Thursday (June 29) by Commissioner John Swofford. Campbell is one of 12 players selected to the team.
• O'Connor Staying at Virginia: University of Virginia head baseball coach Brian O'Connor will remain as the school's head coach. He reaffirmed his position with UVa this week when his name surfaced as a possible replacement at Notre Dame.
• Virginia Names Brandon Duncan Assistant Softball Coach: University of Virginia head softball coach Karen Johns has announced the hiring of Brandon Duncan as an assistant coach. Duncan comes to Virginia after two seasons as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech. Duncan replaces Iyhia McMichael who resigned in May.

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virignia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

Sabre articles from the past week

Best Seat in the House: Perry Brooks on Son Ahmad Brooks
Former Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks is awaiting the NFL Supplemental Draft to see if he will be selected by a pro team this summer. Perry Brooks, Ahmad's father, joined Jed Williams on the Best Seat in the House to talk about Ahmad's situation and what the family expects in the July draft.

FanWatch: StLouHoo Builds On UVa Experience
Neil Haner lives in Missouri, works in Illinois, and served in Iraq. All of that came after ROTC at UVa in Charlottesville. Suffice to say, StLouHoo knows his way around. That's what life in the Air Force - and life as a dedicated Hoo fan - has provided for the civil engineer. As a civil engineer, Haner mostly works on the construction side of the operation, helping do everything from developing project requirements to design work to supervising and inspecting the construction.

NBA Draft's Hoo-Free Status Must Change
The NBA Draft rolls into Madison Square Garden tonight. Why a yawn and a shrug from many of the Wahoo faithful? It's simple really: UVa has been a non-factor in this event for a decade and that has translated into the Hoos' non-factor status in the NCAA Tournament as well. The former is not changing tonight, but don't fret. Thanks to solid recruiting and expected player development under his tutelage, Dave Leitao has the program on the right track to make Virginia relevant again, both to the NBA Draft and the NCAA Tournament.

Playing Corner Requires Year-Round Preparation
The enduring "one step forward and two steps back" finds a home on song sheets from Saliva to Craig David to Color Green. But Desert Rose Band's lyrics seem to capture the intended spirit of the phrase best, singing "One step forward and two steps back; Nobody gets too far like that." With all due respect to their proverbial take, however, Desert Rose never played corner back - after all, the only way to get anywhere at corner is by moving backward.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

Burd Soars at UVa Camp
Matoaca (VA) wide receiver/safety Kris Burd received an official offer in May from the University of Virginia, but at the same time wasn't being recruited as heavily as he was earlier in the year. All of that figures to change now, as the 6-1, 180-pound prospect turned in an impressive showing at UVa's summer camp.

Halifax Receiver Standing Out
6-0 ½, 182-pound wide receiver Patrick Terry impressed during last weekend's 7-on-7 camp at the University of Virginia. But, as Halifax High School (South Boston, VA) offensive coordinator Stan Hodgin will tell you, he was already on the recruiting radar before his performance and currently boasts two official scholarship offers.

Szczerba Decision Coming Soon?
6-6 ½, 255-pound Salesianum (Wilmington, DE) tight end Andrew Szczerba is hearing from a number of other schools besides the nine that have extended official scholarship offers but, unless those programs come in with offers soon, it may be too late. The standout prospect is hoping to make a decision before the end of summer.

Q&A with RB Keith Payne
One of the top recruits in UVa's 2006 recruiting class, former Oakton (Vienna, VA) running back Keith Payne earned AP AAA Player of the Year and VHSCA first-team all-state honors for his 2005 season performance. Leading Oakton to a Division 6 state championship title in 2005, Payne rushed for 2,059 yards and 26 touchdowns. In the state title win over Landstown, he rushed for 245 yards and four touchdowns and helped slow down receiver Percy Harvin.

Nuss Names Final Five
Earlier this week, Andrew Nuss made a visit to Boston College and, just yesterday, picked up an offer from Notre Dame. Today, the 6-5, 285-pound Stone Bridge (Ashburn, VA) standout named his final five schools and a decision could come in the near future. Nuss discussed recent trips to the University of Georgia (last week) and Boston College. It was his second visit to Georgia and his first to Boston College. (Editor's Note: Nuss committed to Notre Dame earlier this week.)

The Latest on Greg Nosal
6-7, 255-pound Kellam (Virginia Beach, VA) standout Greg Nosal has been lifting weights with his football team as well as playing AAU basketball this summer. Recruiting has not been on the forefront of his mind, although he still wants to make a decision this summer. We caught up with Greg to discuss the rest of his summer plans and when a decision could take place.

4-Star Guard Talks Recruiting
Monsignor Bonner (Drexel Hill, PA) star guard Jeff Jones has made unofficial visits in recent weeks to Charlotte, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, respectively. The 6-4 standout hopes to make more trips in the near future as he aims to narrow his list of schools by the end of August.

4-Star PF Considering 'Hoos
Almost with each performance, 6-8, 235-pound power forward prospect Patrick Patterson has seen his stock rise over the course of the 2006 AAU/Camp circuit. The Huntington (W.V.) star earned MVP honors at this past weekend's NBPA Top 100 camp - which boasted the top 100 players across the country - and could see his stock go even higher as a result.

Every week, 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 UVa Bookstores purchases during your subscription.

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