Ryan Named To Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Official Release
Virginia Athletic Media Relations

Hall of Famer Debbie Ryan.

Virginia women's basketball head coach Debbie Ryan has been named to the Class of 2008 for induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Sunday on ABC-TV during halftime of the 2007 WNBA All-Star game.

Joining Ryan in the Class of 2008 are Patty Broderick, Lin Laursen, Jill Rankin-Schneider, Suzie McConnell-Serio, and Michele Timms.

"I am humbled and honored to be named to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame," Ryan said. "My life has been blessed with tremendous players, coaches, staff members, and administrators over the years who have supported me and share equally in this honor. I am very thankful and fortunate to be able to represent the University of Virginia and my entire family in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. This is a proud moment for all of us."

In 2004-05, Ryan became a member of a very elite club. On Dec. 29, she recorded the 600th victory in her career, becoming the 11th women's coach all-time to achieve 600 wins in her coaching career. She received the WBCA Victory Club Award for her achievements. Ryan stands 651-278 in 30 seasons at Virginia. Ryan has won the ACC Coach of the Year award seven times. The women's locker room at the John Paul Jones Arena is named the "Debbie Ryan Locker Room."

During her tenure, Ryan has led Virginia to 25 postseason appearances, including 21 NCAA Tournament berths. Other measures of Ryan's success include 12 appearances in the NCAA "Sweet 16", including 11 straight years (1987-97), three Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament titles, three straight Final Four appearances, the 1990 and 1992 East Regional titles, the 1991 Midwest Regional title, and 11 ACC regular-season crowns.

In addition to the accomplishments on the court, 100 percent of Virginia players who have completed their four-year eligibility have graduated from the University.

To read the full release, check out Virginiasports.com.

You can also check out these articles from the Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Daily Progress.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting ...

Virginia continued its football recruiting success by adding commitment #12 for the 2008 class. Last Monday, 6-4, 225-pound standout Cameron Johnson verbally committed to UVa over scholarship offers from Duke, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland (his childhood favorite), and Pitt.

Johnson, who attends Gonzaga Prep in Washington, D.C. started at safety and wide receiver last season as a junior. Though he did receive some looks at wide receiver and is being recruited initially by Virginia as a safety, Johnson's most likely position at Virginia could be outside linebacker. He possesses excellent speed and athleticism for his size and could be a force off the edge.

Johnson may be more than just a nice addition for the football program. He plans to walk on to the men's basketball team as well. He has ability on the hard court, as he averaged 15 points per game last season as a junior. Having the opportunity to play both sports in college was a major draw in favor of Virginia.

Smithfield (VA) WR recruit Dyrell Roberts plans to announce his decision on July 31. The 6-2, 190-pound prospect will likely announce either Virginia Tech or Virginia, although he does list Penn State in his top 3 as well. Virginia coaches are hoping Roberts visits Charlottesville once again before he makes a decision. If he does not, Virginia Tech looks to be in good shape at the moment.

We will check in with another top in-state talent in Christchurch WR Deion Walker, who was considering a visit to UVa. The 6-3, 180-pound Walker, rated the #4 overall recruit in the state in TheSabre's Pre-Summer Top 30 rankings, tripped to South Carolina, Florida, Florida State, and LSU last week.

Amherst (VA) WR/DB Peter Rose made is decision last night, committing to Virginia Tech over Virginia. Brooke Point (Stafford, VA) DE Isaiah Hamlette is expected to decide later this afternoon with Virginia Tech being the likely choice.

Virginia is in the top five for Holy Cross (Queens, N.Y.) G Sylven Landesberg. The 6-5, 195-pound prospect expected Coach Dave Leitao to visit his school Sunday to see a workout. Next month, Landesberg says he will make visits to Georgia Tech, Virginia, and perhaps Kentucky. He wants to make a summer decision and Virginia is right in the thick of this race.

Landesberg averaged 27 points last season as a junior.

Virginia landed the top lacrosse recruiting class in the country in 2007, landing nine Under Armour All-Americans. TheSabre.com will feature three of the Cavs top recruits and provide a look into Dom Starsia's incoming freshman class. Huntington (N.Y.) Shamel Bratton was rated the #1 player in the county by RISE.

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 Commitment Roll Continues!
The University of Virginia has picked up commitment #12 for the 2008 football recruiting class, but it is a prospect who could end up playing basketball as well. 6-4, 220-pound Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) star S/LB Cameron Johnson committed to Virginia today over claimed offers from Duke, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland and Pitt.

Landesberg Focusing on Five
Holy Cross (Queens, N.Y.) guard/wing forward Sylven Landesberg, considered one of the top backcourt prospects in the country by Rivals.com and Scout.com, lists a solid top five schools. A decision could come much sooner than expected, as the 6-5, 195-pound prospect is no longer intent on waiting until next spring to make a college decision.

5-Star Davis Reflects on Recent Visits
6-8, 215-pound forward Ed Davis is "really just down to those three," referring to Connecticut, North Carolina and Virginia. The 5-star rising senior out of Benedictine (Richmond, VA) has visited Connecticut and Virginia this late spring and summer and plans to head to UNC next month. A decision does not appear imminent but could happen next month.

More updates since the last SabreMail ...

• The Latest on Ryan Williams
• Roberts Sets Decision Day
• Top OL Freeman Visits Virginia Schools
• Rose Inching Closer to a Decision
• Recruiting Roundtable
• Hopkins Talks Camp Experience, Recent Offer

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This week's SabreMail marks another milestone for The Sabre, your source for independent coverage and discussion of University of Virginia athletics. We've been serving the Wahoo community since 1996 and SabreMail has been part of it all since September 6, 2001.

Along the way, the weekly newsletter format has expanded to bring you more quick-hitting updates. Plus, we've moved the mail delivery from Friday to Monday so that you get your week with the Hoos started on the right foot. As always, we appreciate your support of the site and SabreMail in particular.

Interested in a past SabreMail issue? Never fear - we keep 'em archived! Check out the SabreMail home on TheSabre.com where you can see the current issue, past issues, and any breaking news releases that we've emailed in the past as well.

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David Bekcham makes his MLS debut this weekend. 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 all things soccer. Also, check out the Cavalier men's and women's schedules so you can talk about the upcoming season with your fellow Hoos.

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

Sean Singletary

• Singletary Doesn't Participate In Pan American Games Team Trials: Virginia senior guard Sean Singletary withdrew his name from consideration for the NBA Draft last month and it was announced on July 9 that he'd been added to the USA Pan American Games Team Trials roster. USA Basketball had to submit a tryout roster to the Pan American Games in Brazil prior to the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline and Singletary's name was not on that roster. A technicality regarding the roster deadline meant Singletary wasn't on the official roster in Brazil. A USA Basketball representative informed Singletary he could try out for the team, but there was no guarantee he would be allowed by Pan American Games officials to be added to the final roster. Singletary opted not to participate in the trials.
• Myers Named IWLCA South Region Coach of the Year: Virginia head women's lacrosse coach Julie Myers has been named the IWLCA South Region Coach of the Year. Myers, who coached the Cavaliers to their second consecutive ACC Championship and to the NCAA final game for the fourth time in five years, earns this honor for the second time in her career (2004).
• Men's Soccer Announces 2007 Schedule: The Virginia men's soccer team announced its 2007 schedule, which includes 12 home games at Klöckner Stadium. This season, the Cavaliers play seven teams that participated in last season's NCAA Tournament. Four of those opponents reached at least the round of 16.
• Women's Soccer Announces 2007 Schedule: The Virginia women's soccer team announced its 2007 schedule, which includes 11 home games at Klockner Stadium. This season, the Cavaliers play 11 of their 18 games against teams that participated in last season's NCAA Tournament. Six of those opponents reached at least the round of 16, including reigning National Champion North Carolina and College Cup participant Florida State.
• Batth Named Director of Operations for Women's Basketball: Virginia has named Erin Batth as the director of operations for women's basketball. Batth (pronounced BATH) joins the UVa staff after working in basketball operations for the WNBA Sacramento Monarchs and NBA Sacramento Kings.
• Virginia Recruit Nabs Junior Olympic Championship: Sydney Hill, an incoming first-year with the Virginia volleyball team, claimed the Girls' 18 American Tournament title at the 2007 USA Volleyball Junior Olympic Championships over the weekend in Minneapolis. Hill, a member of Dunes Volleyball Club, was also named to the 15-member all-tournament team.
• Volleyball Unveils 2007 Schedule: Melissa Aldrich Shelton has unveiled the 2007 University of Virginia volleyball schedule. UVa will play 31 matches, including 22 Atlantic Coast Conference matches. The season kicks off Aug. 24 at the Las Vegas Tournament.
• Crippen Captures First Gold of Pan American Games: Former Virginia swimmer Fran Crippen claimed the first gold medal of the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, over the weekend, winning the 10K Olympic distance open water event at Copacabana Beach. Crippen, representing the United States, finished in a time of 2:02:24.1, just 5.1 seconds in front of teammate Charles Peterson.

For more Hoo news or to read full releases, check out Virginiasports.com.

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Issue No. 1 - September 6, 2001

Welcome to the first edition of SabreMail. What is SabreMail, you ask? Well, it's a combination of things. Primarily, it's designed to efficiently keep you up to date on the Hoos. If you just don't have the time to visit TheSabre.com a dozen times per day, then SabreMail is just what you need.

SabreMail has two purposes: 1) You'll get a weekly email from us which will include the latest University of Virginia football and basketball news, recruiting news, and hot issues on the message boards, as well as recent updates we have made to TheSabre.com. 2) SabreMail will bring you important breaking news - for example, a recruiting commitment or the receipt of a large multimillion dollar gift for the new basketball arena.

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Thanks and enjoy!

Mike Ingalls
TheSabre.com

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. Here are a few of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:

• Versatility Reigns With Singletary's Return Sean Singletary decided to return to UVa for his senior season last week. That choice gives Virginia a ton of options heading into next season. The Sabre looks at the Cavs' versatility.
  
• JHoo's Summer Reading JHoo's summer reading series wrapped up the offense last week. Next up: the defense.
  
• Ranking UVa's Programs For 2006-07 Vandy-Hoo ranks the various Cavalier programs for the 2006-07 season. With Final Four apperances by men's tennis, men's soccer, and women's lacrosse, the list won't be an easy one to make. Who lands at No. 1?
  

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

JHoo's Summer Reading: Offensive Line
A couple of days ago, a poster encouraged me to write a long article when I got around to discussing the offensive line. Me, a long article? Never. Perish the thought. Mr. Brevity, that's what all of my friends call me ... . Of course, from Branden Albert to slotting to depth to potential to Eugene Monroe to - you get the picture - there is plenty to talk about on the offensive line. And all of the news is not grim. In fact, if you look at the starting five UVa plans to roll out on the field for the first offensive snap of the Wyoming game, the talent is fairly impressive. Will the results be?

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