Check Out the Pitt Football Game at the JPJ!

Virginia football fans will have the opportunity to watch the ESPNU television broadcast of the Cavaliers' season-opening game at Pittsburgh live at John Paul Jones Arena, the Virginia athletics department announced this past week. The Cavaliers' season-opening football game is being televised by ESPNU, which is not readily available on area cable packages so the school decided to help the fan base find a place to watch the game.

The free watch party will utilize the video boards and audio system in the new on-campus arena. The game, scheduled for Saturday, September 2, will kickoff at 7 p.m. Parking will be free for the event. UVa students will be admitted to the building at 5:30 p.m. with a valid student ID. The main lobby entrance will open at 6 p.m. to the general public.

"There is a great sense of anticipation for college football and our team's opening game against Pittsburgh," said Jon Oliver, Executive Associate Director of Athletics. "This is going to be a fantastic way for our fans, who are not traveling to the game, to come together and cheer on the team. It is one more example of how the John Paul Jones Arena is serving the community."

Kris Wright
TheSabre.com
Editor

Basketball recruiting takes forefront .

Virginia Basketball 2007 Commitments G Jeff Jones SF Eric Wallace PG Sam Zeglinski

Jeff Jones came through with a decision on Friday and it was extremely good news for the Hoos. The 6-4, 185-pound Monsignor Bonner (Drexel Hill, PA) guard committed to Dave Leitao after paring his list of schools to four - Clemson, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. The final decision came down to UVa and Wake.

A 4-star prospect, Jones, who is a natural two but could play the one position if necessary, averaged 21 points per game last season as a junior. His commitment is huge, as UVa is losing standout two-guard J.R. Reynolds after this season. Having an opportunity to replace Reynolds was a factor in Jones' decision (check out Friday's EDGE article below).

Jones is the third player to commit for UVa's 2007 class, joining 3-star point guard Sam Zeglinski and 4-star small forward Eric Wallace.

UVa does not currently project to have any more scholarships available for the 2007 class, but the staff is recruiting for one more player. The position of need/want is power forward/center and the staff is hosting top power forward Alexis Wangmene on an unofficial visit. Wangmene, who is transferring to Blair Academy in New Jersey for his senior season, is a 6-8, 235-pound power forward recruit.

Stay tuned for more on Wangmene following his visit.

Football recruiting .

Salesianum (Wilmington, DE) tight end recruit Andrew Szczerba chose Penn State over UVa. The staff wanted Szczerba, a 6-6, 255-pound prospect who would have been an excellent addition, but the addition of Mount Lebanon (Pittsburgh, PA) TE Andrew Devlin certainly softens the loss quite a bit.

Also, UVa hosted Mitchell Schwartz this past weekend on an unofficial visit. Schwartz is a 6-5, 305-pound offensive line recruit out of Pacific Palisades, California. The 3-star standout holds offers from Michigan and Oregon (where his brother plays), as well. Stay tuned for more on his UVa experience.

Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

Cavs Land 4-Star Guard!
UVa's men's basketball program has picked up another big-time commitment. Jeff Jones, a 4-star guard out of Monsignor Bonner High School (Drexel Hill, PA), has verbally committed to Coach Dave Leitao and company. Jones, who narrowed his list to two earlier this week, chose the Hoos over Wake Forest.

Zeglinski's Zealous Passing Headed to UVa
William Penn Charter's Sam Zeglinski delighted the Cavalier faithful with a verbal commitment last fall, the first collected by Virginia head coach Dave Leitao. A 6'1" point guard, Zeglinski was busy on the camp and tournament circuit this summer and drew favorable reviews. The Sabre caught up with Zeglinski and his high school coach Jim Phillips this week.

PreSeason Check-In: J'Courtney Williams
Last season was one mostly of frustration for Christchurch School's J'Courtney Williams, who missed five games due to a knee injury. But the 6-3 star is feeling healthy right now and is very excited about the team's prospects for the 2006 season. With a talented cast of players around him, 4-star recruit has reason to be excited.

Also from the past week ...

• PreSeason Check-in: CB Dom Joseph
• Offer On The Way For Tukes
• Wiser Setting Official Visit to UVa
• Acho Lists Top 5
• Jeff Jones Cuts List, Nearing Possible Decision

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Post of the Week

Sean Singletary is locked in at the point guard position. Will the lack of a proven back-up PG hurt the Cavs?

Subject: Breaking the press is as dependent on other players as on the PG
Posted by: TheGrinch on Mon Aug 21 2006 9:08:03 AM
Message: Thinking that press-breaking is all on the point guard is a common misconception, but truly effective press-breaking is probably more dependent on ability of the other four players.

If it's a straight up man press, then the pg is important, but having some ball handling options at the other guard spots will help. Having only two competent ball handlers on the floor at any one time last season hurt us more against this type of press than the individual abilities of any of our point guards. From Harris, Tat, and hopefully an improved Diane, we should have three players on the floor who can handle the ball at any point ... even if SS or JR is on the bench. Good passers are also effective in breaking this type of press, and we should have more effective passers on the floor this year.

Against a trapping-style press (which is usually what people mean when they say "press"), passing is more important than dribbling. Dribbling through this type of press is the least effective method of breaking it. You punish the trap-press with the pass, so you need a few other good passing players for the doubled player to pass to and send it on. Last year, we tended to dribble through the press, which lets the pressing team recover defensively. Throwing over it prevents the trapping players from getting back to the ball and should yield an easy basket on the other end.

Losing TJ hurts against the press because we lose a player who could handle and pass, and we didn't have many of those last year. This year, we should have more, so we won't miss him as much as last year's team would have missed him. Breaking the press is the least of my worries for this season ... effective and consistent play is a much bigger concern.

Bannister Decides to Transfer

T.J. Bannister

T.J. Bannister, a three-year letterman in the University of Virginia men's basketball program, announced on Tuesday that he is planning to transfer. Bannister, who has one year of eligibility remaining, settled on Liberty as his next destination. He will have to sit out a year before playing for the Flames.

Bannister, in an interview with Jeff White of The Richmond Times-Dispatch, said it was just time for a fresh start.

"When it's time to move on, you got to move on," Bannister said in the RTD. "I feel it was time to do that and get a fresh start and show everybody what I can do."

Bannister, a guard from Jacksonville, Fla., played in only 16 games for the Cavaliers during the 2005-06 season because of surgery to repair a sports hernia last September. He never fully recovered from the injury/surgery and averaged 2.1 points, 2.3 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 13.0 minutes played a game last season as a junior. Bannister played in 76 games during his three years in the Virginia program and started 21. He averaged 3.6 points, 3.1 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 18.7 minutes played a game, and made 77.1 percent (128-166) of his free throw attempts for his UVa career.

"I want to give it a chance to heal up and work on my game at the same time," Bannister told the RTD, "so I think a year off will probably be the best thing for me."

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!

License Plate section is up in Wahoowa!

A few weeks ago, SabreMail made a request for anyone who had license plates that reflected your status as a Hoo fan. The responses have started to trickle in and the Plates Photos are up and running the Wahoowa! section of the site. The Wahoowa! section of the Sabre is dedicated to all things associated with UVa Fan-dom. There are various fan-related areas including desktop wallpaper, Fan of the Week photos, V-Sabres Worldwide, and more. If you have suggestions for new and interesting things in the Wahoowa! section, please email us at [email protected] with the header: Wahoowa! suggestion.

We'd like to keep adding photos to the section so if your license plate shows that you're a Hoo fan, let us know so we can include you in our gallery. All you need to do is snap a picture of your license plate and email a jpeg version of the photo to [email protected] with the email header: License Plate Photo.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• No. 3 Men's Soccer Blanks VCU, 3-0, in Final Exhibition Game: Junior midfielder Nico Colaluca scored in the 16th minute and junior midfielder Sean Hinkle and junior forward Matt Ayotte added second-half goals as No. 3 Virginia shut out VCU, 3-0, Saturday night at Klockner Stadium. It was the final exhibition game for the Hoos.
• Women's Soccer Plays Michigan State to Scoreless Draw in Exhibition: The Virginia women's soccer team concluded its 2006 exhibition schedule Friday with a 0-0 tie at Michigan State Friday afternoon. The match was the final part of the Cavaliers' week-long preseason camp in Michigan.
• Doolittle, Team USA Capture Gold Medal: Virginia junior first baseman/ left-handed pitcher Sean Doolittle capped off his summer season by helping Team USA capture its second straight FISU World Championship with an 18-9 win over Chinese Taipei. Doolittle went 2 for 6 with two runs scored and two RBI in the win.
• Virginia Defeats American 3-2 in Exhibition Field Hockey Match: Three different Cavaliers scored as Virginia defeated American 3-2 in an exhibition match held at University Hall Turf Field.
• Men's Basketball Schedule is Announced: The Atlantic Coast Conference released Virginia's 2006-07 schedule on Thursday (Aug. 17) and it includes 17 home games at the John Paul Jones Arena featuring some of the most accomplished programs in college basketball.
• Women's Basketball Schedule is Announced: The University of Virginia women's basketball team ushers in a new era this season, playing in its new home- the state-of-the-art John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers will face several nationally prominent opponents at home during its inaugural season in the JPJA.
• Culver Named Major League Lacrosse Sportsman of the Year: Former UVa men's lacrosse standout Michael Culver, currently a starting defenseman with the Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse, has been honored as the recipient of the New Balance Sportsman of the Year award.

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

Issue No. 195 - June 24, 2005

Virginia added two more players this week - one to the 2005 class and the other for 2006.

Pasadena City College (Pasadena, CA) punter Ryan Weigand became the 24th member of UVa's 2005 recruiting class. In search of another punter, the Cavs scoured the nation this spring until they found Weigand, a 6-1 1/2, 175-pound prospect who averaged 40.3 yards per punt last season. Weigand, who had originally committed to Tulsa but did not sign any scholarship papers, visited Virginia last week and decided to go with the Wahoos.

Here is an excerpt from the Q&A session we had with Ryan earlier this week.

TheSabre.com: What do the Virginia coaches like the most about you?

Ryan Weigand: According to Al Groh, my control. They saw tape and I guess they talked to a couple of references. I gave them my head trainer's number. He said 'Ryan's not going to kill the ball for you, but he's consistent and you can pretty much count on 40-45 yards and a 4.4 hang time each time'.

Weigand had qualified academically coming out of high school, which means he'll be able to transfer to UVa and have immediate eligibility. He only played one year for PCC, so he'll have three years of eligibility remaining.

Coming Soon

With football season looming around the corner, The Sabre is the place to be for all of your Virginia content. Here's a sneak peak at some of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:

Christian Olsen and the Hoos open the season at Pittsburgh.

• 10-Day Hoo Preview
  The Sabre is your source for Cavalier football and we're getting your eady for the season with 10 full days of previews. Join us from Sunday, Aug. 20 through Tuesday, Aug. 29 for breakdowns on special teams, offense, defense, the freshman class, the Cavs' schedule, and more!
• ACC Audio Previews
  The Best Seat in the House is cruising around the ACC to get you ready for the season. The Sabre and the Best Seat bring you audio segments from the different league teams.
• Men's Soccer Preview
  After two impressive exhibitions, the men's soccer team opens the regular season this week.
• Women's Soccer Preview
  The women's soccer team is battling a limited roster early this season thanks to injuries and national team participation. The Hoos open regular-season play this week.
• At Home At Hargrave
  2006 signees Billy Cuffee, Ras-I Dowling, and Almondo Sewell all have arrived at Hargrave Military Academy. The Sabre checks in on their status with UVa and their outlook for the upcoming season.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles from the past week

10-Day Hoo Preview: System Outlook, Special Teams
The Sabre.com opens its 10-Day Hoo Preview with a look at the special teams. What can the Cavaliers expect from kickoff coverage, kickoff return, field goals, punting, and punt returns? In this system outlook, the Sabre examines where Virginia sails and struggles. Make sure to stay tuned to the Edge from Sunday, Aug. 20 through Tuesday, Aug. 29 to get ready for kickoff with the 10-Day Hoo Preview.

Best Seat in the House: RB Cedric Peerman
Virginia's Cedric Peerman is battling for playing time at the running back position this fall with Jason Snelling, Michael Johnson, and Mikell Simpson. Peerman joined Jed Williams on the Best Seat in the House to talk about training camp, the running backs, playing hurt, and going from Group A high school football to the ACC. Check out the EDGE audio here and tune in to the Best Seat in the House on Friday night for an interview with Christian Olsen.

Meet the Team Day Means Kickoff Is Near
The Virginia football team's annual "Meet the Team Day" cruised into Scott Stadium on Thursday and it was a treat for the Cavalier fans. No, not for the autographs, moon bounce, Trinity, or the general hoopla surrounding the afternoon. Why such delight then? That's easy - if "Meet the Team Day" has arrived, then football season must be close. Extremely close.

Best Seat in the House: Ogletree, Cunningham
Football training camp at the Unviersity of Virginia keeps rolling along as "Meet the Team Day" hits the calendar today. Receiver Kevin Ogletree and Ian-Yates Cunningham are two players expected to play heavy roles this season. Jed Williams interviewed both players for the Best Seat in the House recently. Ogletree talks about stepping in for Deyon Williams, the receiver positions, and fall practice while Cunningham talks about playing center, offensive line chemistry, and O-Line coach Dave Borbely.

2006 ACC Preview: Hurricane Warning In Place
The conference as a whole might be weaker than 2005 entering the season. While the Florida schools seem to be legitimate national title contenders talent-wise, just four teams are ranked and only four more received votes in the preseason coaches' poll. In 2005, five were in the top 25, and 10 of the 12 teams received votes in the poll. So, you might ask, what does this mean in the week-to-week happenings in the ACC? Probably not much. The axis of power in the conference has not changed so expect one of the big 3 - Miami, Florida State, and Virginia Tech - to emerge with the title.

Fall Practice 2006: Lipsey Making Strides
From the start of spring practice for the Virginia football team, one position that has received a lot of focus has been the starting center. With Brian Barthelmes moving on to the NFL, the Cavaliers need to pencil in a new starter with Ian-Yates Cunningham and Jordy Lipsey competing for the job. The race is closer than you may think.

Best Seat in the House: Tulane Transfer Cary Koch
Wide receiver Cary Koch lost his major preference at Tulane when Hurricane Katrina rocked Louisiana. After some soul-searching and a careful decision process, he decided to transfer to Virginia. Koch joined Jed Williams on the Best Seat in the House to talk about the transfer process with the NCAA, choosing UVa, his first trip to New Orleans after Katrina, and more.

Butler, Crowell Building With The Bills
The NFL is becoming a crowded neighborhood for former Cavaliers and Buffalo is no exception. Former Virginia linebacker Angelo Crowell (1999-2002) and recently departed right tackle Brad Butler (2002-2005) both landed with the Bills and both are hoping to make a significant impact for the AFC franchise.

Best Seat in the House: PG Sean Singletary, Part 2
Sean Singletary sat down with Jed Williams on The Best Seat in the House for an in-depth offseason interview. In Part 2 of this EDGE feature, Singletary talked about his parents' battle with cancer, what he learned from them growing up, his brother's service in Iraq, playing basketball in Philadelphia, and more.

Best Seat in the House: PG Sean Singletary, Part 1
Sean Singletary underwent hip surgery in the offseason, but he is well on his way back through rehabilitation this summer. Singletary joined Jed Williams on the Best Seat in the House to talk about the surgery, rehab, playing through the pain last season, what he does away from the court, and more. Listen to the interview in this EDGE audio feature and check back for Part 2 on Tuesday.

Fall Practice 2006: Corner Position Still Open
Returning senior Marcus Hamilton is a lock to start this season at one cornerback position. The starter on the other side isn't as clear. Four different players - Chris Gorham, Vic Hall, Chris Cook, and Mike Brown - are battling for playing time opposite of Hamilton as the season opener approaches.

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.

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!

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