Fellow Sabre Users - We Need Your Help!

Dear Fellow Sabre Community Members,

We need your help.

TheSabre.com has been around for more than 10 years. All along, you have supported this community every step of the way by shopping with TheSabreShop.com, subscribing to Sabre content, and by supporting our advertisers. We've used that money to not only keep the site running, but to improve and enhance our products and services for you. We've added full time writers, daily content, recruiting updates, and a host of other features. We've improved our servers and experienced very little down time, including not missing a beat the last two football recruiting signing days. We've improved our programming code, allowing you to log in only once to post messages and access the subscription area rather than maintain two accounts. Just recently we've added The Good Ol' Blog, as well as RSS feeds for all of our written content. Over the years, we've always listened to your suggestions and tried to give you what you've asked for.

There is a lot more that we would like to do to make The Sabre even better (like finally building a dream message board system based on the feedback you've given us!). To get this and many other things done, we have been working on a new and improved sponsorship model that we believe will finally allow us to do just that - but it will only work if you are willing to support it.

Our vision is a long-term partnership between you and a select list of committed sponsor partners. They will financially support The Sabre and you in turn agree to help their businesses grow and prosper. We will have exclusive official sponsors in each of several verticals, like say, consumer electronics. So if Circuit City, for example, should become one of our new sponsor partners, it will be a win, win, win for you, The Sabre, and Circuit City if you will do as much of your consumer electronics shopping as possible with them and not with their competition. We are not asking you to go buy things that you don't want or need (although we won't complain if you do); we just need you to do your normal shopping with them when you are in the market for goods or services they provide.

To accomplish this new long-term sponsorship model we have recently banded together with other independent-minded Web sites like The Sabre. (None of us want to merge our sites into a national network like Rivals or Scout). We are attempting to build a long-term sponsorship model where advertisers make a real commitment (at least one year) to you and this community. We want to avoid what we call drive-by advertising, where you see ads from hundreds of different and irrelevant advertisers via banners, pop-ups, and other intrusive ad formats. We do not believe that uncommitted, intrusive advertising serves anyone well. Moreover, we think it seriously detracts from the community.

We have several businesses ready to give this new approach a try, but it will only bear fruit if you are willing to make it work by returning their love. They are skeptical because of the newness and the novelty of our approach in the advertising world. We need you to blow their doors off, and prove that TheSabre.com is a great investment for their business.

Because our approach is new and unique, the first few sponsors (with our permission) will be testing the waters before committing for one full year. We will be announcing via press releases and emails the details of each test so you will know exactly how you can help this work. Starting March 1, the test programs will run on the site. So keep your eyes open later this week for the first of the test programs!

Thanks again for your continued and loyal support of the site over the past 10 years and thank you for taking this new long-term sponsorship model to heart. We're confident that you'll step up to the plate with your support and help us hit a home run, securing the future of TheSabre.com. We sincerely believe the best is yet to come!

Go Hoos!

Mike Ingalls and Kris Wright
TheSabre.com

Football recruiting ...

UVa held a junior day on Saturday and some of its top targets were in attendance. Here is a list of confirmed visitors ...

• Ben Barber - WR, Edison (Alexandria, VA)
• Brendan Beal - LB, Roxbury (Roxbury, N.J.) - UVa offer
• Jimmy Bennett - OL, West Potomac (Alexandria, VA) - UVa offer
• Xavier Boyce - ATH, Landstown (Virginia Beach, VA)
• Reggie Ellis - DL, Dunbar (Washington, D.C.) - UVa offer
• Mike Glennon - QB, Westfield (Chantilly, VA) - UVa offer
• Shayne Hale - LB, Gateway (Monroeville, PA) - UVa offer
• E.J. Manuel - QB, Bayside (Virginia Beach, VA) - UVa offer
• R.J. Mattes - OL, Robinson (Concord, N.C.) - UVa offer
• Dyrell Roberts - WR, Smithfield (VA) - UVa offer
• Cameron Saddler - RB, Gateway (Monroeville, PA) - UVa offer
• Scott Vallone - DE, St. Anthony's (Long Island, N.Y.) - UVa offer
• Aaron Van Kuiken - OL, Turpin (Cincinnati, OH) - UVa offer
• Tyler Westphal - TE/DE, Menasha (WI) - UVa offer

Recruits reactions from the weekend have already been posted on the EDGE message board, but stay tuned for much more on this past weekend including articles on the visitors and more. And we will keep digging to find out which other players made the trip.

At this point, no commitments have been made but, overall, the junior day appears to have been a success.

Basketball recruiting ...

Patrick Patterson, the 6-8, 235-pound five-star power forward prospect, was named to the McDonald's All-American East roster. The Huntington High School (W.V.) star still has some season remaining, as his team heads into the playoffs this week. Huntington is shooting for its third consecutive Class AAA boys' state championship title.

After his senior season is over, Patterson hopes to narrow his list of schools from six to three. He is currently considering Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Virginia, Wake Forest, and West Virginia. He is aiming for an April decision. For more on Patterson's recruitment, check out the Sabre EDGE article from last week.

The McDonald's All-American game will take place on March 28th.

This week, look for an article on UVa signee Mike Scott. The 6-8, 215-pound Scott has turned in an outstanding season for Hargrave Military Academy and should rise in the national rankings as a result.

In Hargrave's most recent outing - an 86-85 loss to Patterson School - Scott had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 21 points and grabbed six boards in the previous game - a 104-72 win over Louisburg Junior College.

Hargrave is 23-4 on the year.

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 ...

Catching up with 5-Star PF Patrick Patterson
6-8, 235-pound five-star recruit Patrick Patterson has been focused on his senior season in recent months and has, at least publicly, put recruiting on the backburner. With his senior season coming to an end, though, recruiting will be back in the spotlight in a short period of time.

Manuel Talks Recruiting
Duke's Ted Roof, Maryland's Ralph Friedgen, Virginia's Al Groh and Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer all stopped by Bayside High School (Virginia Beach, VA) last month to show their interest in 6-4, 210-pound quarterback E.J. Manuel. Manuel is up to seven scholarship offers and could get more in the coming weeks/months.

Glennon's Recruitment Picking Up
Westfield (Chantilly, VA) quarterback Mike Glennon has seen his recruitment heat up over the past few weeks. Heading into February, the 6-6, 195-pound signal caller, brother of current Virginia Tech sophomore Sean Glennon, had received only one scholarship offer. Now, he has four.

Charlottesville Shoot-Out: Oak Hill vs Montrose Christian
Oak Hill Academy's starting lineup consists of three seniors - 6-4 Alex Legion (Michigan signee), 6-3 Nolan Smith (Duke signee) and 6-9 Julian Vaughn (a Florida State signee) - and two top juniors - 6-0 Brandon Jennings (USC commit) and 6-8 Howard Thompkins. The group scored 72 of Oak Hill's 74 points in this past Saturday's 74-65 win over Montrose Christian, which boasts a talented but young team including UVa target Tristan Spurlock.

More updates since the last SabreMail ...

• Jones Talks Record, Playoffs
• Smithfield's Roberts is a Top Talent
• Will Mattes be a UVa Legacy?
• Tate Headlines DeMatha's Talented Class
• Harrelson Boasts Six Offers
• Oscar Smith's Boykins a Hot Commodity

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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.

Blog Post of the Week

This blog post from Vandy-Hoo addresses a growing message board topic: fans at the JPJ.

Crowd 101

Maybe I'm being a bit defensive, because I was part of the crowd yesterday. But I think the TV crowd has some unrealistic expectations about the crowd. And they're buying into the silly comments by some silly commentators.

Crowds everywhere respond to the action on the court or field. It's not a chicken/egg thing - if a team is getting blown out, the crowd gets quiet. If a team is close but struggling, the crowd gets listless. But if a team starts showing some fight, starts getting aggressive, any sort of spark will ignite the audience. I've seen this behavior in countless games in Charlottesville and elsewhere in the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big East, and the pros. This is basic crowd behavior. Let's call it Crowd 101.

A basic crowd behavior is exactly what happened yesterday. The team played without aggression, without emotion. So the crowd grew frustrated - especially with the uneven officiating drawing most of the crowd's reactions. (And, I tend to believe that the crowd's ire toward the officials brought the Hoos more make-up calls near the end.) But, once the team started playing with emotion, the crowd exploded. Cain's nasty drive "and one" made the JPJ erupt. And, from there one, the audience was plenty loud - everyone throughout the arena was one their feet on Tech's offensive possessions. The crowd was waiting for something to cheer for - and (like anywhere) the team has to provide that spark to ignite the home court advantage.

It would be ideal if the crowd got loud on its own, out of the blue without prompting from the team's actions. And that energy made a lethargic team get energized. And that new energy fueled the team to victory. But, even though JPJ is like utopia, it's a bit unrealistic to expect the crowd to not act like a regular crowd.

Post of the Week

This Post of the Week started with one of those interesting stastical trend type of posts. Trusting that plinko's research is on point, the numbers in this post are definitely food for thought.

Subject: ACC historic FT differentials
Posted by: plinko on Sun Feb 25 2007 5:44:16 PM
Message: Made a trip over to the Dook board (don't ask), and they're busy complaining that they don't get the calls anymore.

Anyway, here is the FT differential (attempts minus opponent attempts) for ACC play, cumulative over the last 10 years:

Dook +726
UNC +646
WF +289
MD +103
NCSU -205
FSU -305
GT -329
UVa -439
Clem -478

Quite a clear line between the ref-haves and ref-have nots.

Fan of the Week

Every week, theSabre.com features a Fan of the Week photo on the front page of the Web site. (Archives are available in the Wahoowa! section.) So you want to be the fan of the week? It's easy - be the loudest Hoo at a live UVa event, wear some crazy Cavalier gear, or do something else to catch our attention. If Mike or Kris spot you and take your picture, you'll be in the running for Fan of the Week honors!

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• 2007 ACC Women's Basketball Bracket Announced: The No. 8 seed Virginia women's basketball team will face No. 9 seed Clemson in the first round of the 2007 ACC Women's Basketball Tournament, conference officials announced on Sunday evening. The Cavaliers (16-13, 5-9 ACC) and the Lady Tigers (12-17, 4-10) tip off on Thursday, March 1 at 3 p.m. The Regional Sports Network will televise the game live.
• Virginia Women's Tennis Blanks Brown 7-0: The No. 28 Virginia Women's tennis team capped off an unbeaten weekend by defeating Brown (3-4), 7-0, this morning. The Cavaliers (6-2) swept the doubles point and only lost one set the entire match as Virginia ends their season-opening eight match road trip with a pair of victories.
• No. 8 UVa Women's Golfers Open Spring Slate at Arizona: he eighth-ranked Virginia women's golf teams tees off the spring portion of its schedule Monday at Arizona's Wildcat Invitational at Arizona National Golf Club. The 54-hole tournament includes two rounds Monday and a single round Tuesday.
• Virginia Softball Splits Final Two Games At Palm Springs Classic: he Virginia softball team split a pair of games against nationally-ranked teams Saturday night (Feb. 24) in the Palm Springs Classic at Big League Dreams Sports Complex. The Cavaliers began the evening with a 10-9 eight-inning win over 22nd-ranked Fresno State and then fell to No. 6 Oregon State 6-2 to close out the tournament. UVa finished the tourney with a 2-4 record and now stands at 7-9 on the season.
• No. 3 Men's Tennis Ices No. 19 Boise State, 7-0: The No. 3 Virginia men's tennis team (10-1) defeated No. 19 Boise State (8-4) tonight, 7-0, at the Boyd Tinsley Courts. The Cavaliers finished the weekend undefeated against a pair of top-20 opponents to close out the bulk of their non-conference schedule.

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

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Issue No. 186 - April 22, 2005

Let the Leitoanium begin!

UVa coach Dave Leitao

Dave Leitao promises that his Virginia basketball teams will defend and rebound. He expects his players to conduct themselves well off the court and excel in the classroom. Oh yeah, he also says they'll win. That's the kind of program he plans on building here.

"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.

Coming Soon

Basketball season is entering the home stretch, while baseball, lacrosse, and other spring sports are just leaving the starting gates. The Sabre has plenty of content to keep you excited about the Hoos! Here's a sneak peak at some of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:

• Virginia Tech at Virginia
  Virginia and Virginia Tech get together this week for a showdown in the John Paul Jones Arena.
• Scouting Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
  One of fhe Sabre's most popular basketball features, check out the exclusive scouting reports for this week's ACC games against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest with former UVa and Clemson assistant Ben D'Alessandro.
• Tunji Rising
  Virginia center Tunji Soroye scored the go-ahead basket against Georgia Tech this weekend and it was the latest step in his development as a player. Sure, Soroye still struggles at times and is inconsistent, but he's starting to show flashes of great things to come.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Cavaliers Come Back To Top GT
Virginia coach Dave Leitao walked into the pressroom of the John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday with a worn and weary air about him. He eased into the waiting interview chair and paused for just a moment. His eyes were searching. Searching for what to say. Searching for an answer to the question that everyone in the room had to be thinking. How the heck did Virginia win that game?

Photo Gallery: Virginia 73, Florida State 70
The last time the Cavaliers suited up in the John Paul Jones Arena, they picked up an ACC win against Florida State, 73-70. Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds continued to lead the way, but reserve forward Adrian Joseph delivered a big-time performance in the victory as well. Joseph poured in 17 points behind 5 made 3-pointers. Check out 46 photos from the win.

Scouting Report: Georgia Tech
The ACC road wars have gotten ugly for UVa recently with losses at Virginia Tech and Miami. But in the John Paul Jones Arena, the outcomes have been much more pleasant. Fortunately for the Cavaliers, this weekend's Georgia Tech contest is in Charlottesville. Patience may be the key "intangible" to watch in this match-up according to former ACC assistant coach Ben D'Alessandro - check out the scouting report for the Yellow Jackets.

Beep, Beep: Miclat, Cavs Start Strong
Any true fan of baseball can't help but watch Virginia's Greg Miclat - but only for a second. The sophomore shortstop streaking down the baseline is like the Road Runner jetting down the desert and the competition so far this year has been as clueless to stop him as Wile E. Coyote. However, it was almost a sight Cavalier fans never got the chance to see.

Tiki Barber - A Cut Above
It's a conceit of Cavalier fans, I think, that we like to think of Tiki Barber as a typical Wahoo. Smart. Charismatic. Handsome. Driven. Successful. Aren't we all like that? Aren't all Virginia student-athletes like that? Um, no.

Truthfully, we all know Tiki's special. We all know he was special before he came to UVa, and we all know he'd be doing well for himself even if he hadn't become a Hoo. But it's not ludicrous to suggest that Tiki's college decision 14 years ago helped smooth his journey into stardom, on and off the field. If nothing else, it's fair to say his four years in Charlottesville enhanced the virtues that he brought with him from Roanoke.

McClinton, Miami Shoot Down Hoos
For the second straight ACC road game, Virginia strayed from its winning blueprint - defend, rebound, and make enough key shots. And for the second straight ACC road game, the Cavaliers returned to Charlottesville with a disappointing loss. This time, it was host Miami that came out with the win as it handed a 68-60 upset to the No. 24 Hoos.

Scouting Report: Miami, Game 2
Why do coaches do scouting reports? What is their purpose? Why are they important? Well, as simple as these questions may be, they warrant real answers. The simple starting point would be that scouting reports are a part of a team's preparation to accomplish the ultimate goal - to win. But what happens for the second meeting between two teams, when one team has the obvious edge on paper? Ignore the paper match-up and focus on what you do well.

Snelling Ready For NFL Combine
Hundreds of college football players take another step toward their NFL dreams this week when the NFL Combine gets started in Indianapolis, Indiana. More than 300 players will take part in the event, including Virginia's Jason Snelling. He is the only Cavalier that was invited to participate.

Myers' Hoos Motivated For Success
The 2006 season ended in bitter disappointment for the Virginia women's lacrosse team when the Cavaliers fell 8-7 to Princeton at Klockner Stadium in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But the painful memories from that day in May have helped motivate the 2007 squad as it has prepared to open its season on Wednesday evening. The Cavaliers will host Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. on the U-Hall Turf Field.

Hoos Have Offensive Firepower
Virginia baseball under Brian O'Connor has been noted for excellent pitching and defense. In 2006, the Cavaliers added a potent offensive element to their repertoire and that component is expected to even more proficient in 2007. If the first six games are any indication, there are several Cavalier scoring records that could fall in 2007.

Pitching Depth Could Be Key For Cavs
Virginia continued its winning ways with a three-game sweep of George Washington this weekend in Charlottesville to improve to 5-1 on the season. Sean Doolittle and Jacob Thompson both got wins to improve to 2-0 on the mound this season. Plus, freshman Matt Packer notched his first collegiate win. The Sabre takes a look at the 2007 Cavaliers, starting with the pitching outlook.

My First Trip To JPJ's Utopia
The Jack. The JPJ. Or, as I like to call it, the Big Bonhomme. Okay, my nickname of choice has yet to catch on. But the new arena has certainly caught on with the fans. And the players. And the recruits. And the announcers. And with me. Walking upon the arena, the JPJ arose out of the horizon and my trip to utopia began.

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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