Meet the Team Day Announced

The football team's annual Meet the Team Day is just around the corner as the Cavaliers look forward to the 2007 season. The team begins practice on Monday, Aug. 6 and the yearly fan festival event quickly follows on Sunday, Aug. 12. Meet the team Day begins when the gates open at 2:30 p.m. No open practice dates have been announced as of yet.

Meet the Team Day, which features both free admission and free parking, will run until approximately 4:15 p.m. with the players and coaches arriving around 2:45 p.m. Scheduled activities include a uniform try-on station, face tattoo/painting, free autographable posters, raffle prizes, inflatable games, and a gyrosphere. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase concessions and select Cavalier merchandise.

The Cavaliers report for preseason practice on Sunday, Aug. 5, and practice starts the following day. UVa opens the 2007 season at Wyoming on Saturday, Sept. 1, in a game that kicks off at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. Virginia's home opener is Saturday, Sept. 8, against Duke. Kickoff is noon.

Kris Wright
Editor
TheSabre.com

This Week In Recruiting
By Kris Wright

Recruiting analyst Chris Horne took a hard-earned and well-deserved vacation last week. Never fear, however, because he returns this week with plenty of content planned in the upcoming month. One feature on the way is the latest "Countdown to Signing Day" article, which takes a complete look at Virginia's 2008 football recruiting class up to this point. How does the class look? Are the Cavs addressing their needs? What shoudl you expect between now and National Signing Day? Also keep an eye out for the recent happenings in the basketball and football recruiting world.

Of course, Chris didn't leave you empty handed while he was away. Last week, his article on the Virginia men's lacrosse team's incoming class shined the spotlight on Dom Starsia' recruiting success. The freshmen class features four of the top seven recruits in the entire nation, including the top three. Brothers Rhamel and Shamel Bratton headline the class, but it is a deep and talented group. In fact Shamel Bratton, Nick Elsmo, Adam Ghitelman, and Bray Malphrus were selected last week for the United States Under-19 team that will compete in the 2008 International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) Under-19 World Championship. Make sure to check out the full feature on the EDGE.

Football recruiting ...

Virginia lost out on an in-state football recruit last week when Oscar Smith wide receiver Kerry Boykins verbally committed to Maryland. Of course, that announcement was not surprising as Boykins openly favored the Terrapins throughout the process. "I've been leaning toward Maryland since my sophomore year," Boykins told The Virginian-Pilot. "They were the first to give me a look in my direction."

Boykins (6'1", 210) bypassed UVa, UNC, Virginia Tech, and others in choosing Maryland. As a junior, he hauled in 37 receptions for 715 yards and 5 TDs. Chris Horne's Pre-Summer Top 30 rankings place Boykins as the No. 9 prospect in the state this 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 ...

Dynamite Class Joins Lacrosse Program
Dom Starsia's 10-member freshman class certainly has its share of accolades. Nine participated in the Under Armour All-American game. Four were ranked in Rise Magazine's Top 10 overall recruits in the nation, including four of the top seven and all of the top three. Virginia's class is indeed loaded with talent with the highlight being the addition of twin brothers Rhamel and Shamel Bratton, stars out of Huntington High School (Huntington Station, New York).

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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 wrap up September for UVa), 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!

Food For Thought

LoyalHoo provided an interesting post on the EDGE message board this weekend and the follow-up discussion has been interesting. Check out the thread here and weigh in with your thoughts. Here's what LoyalHoo had to say:

Subject: While some seem down on the current state of the football program ..... (long)
Posted by: LoyalHoo on Sun Jul 29 2007 5:53:16 PM
Message: after the past 2-3 seasons of disappointing results, I would submit, that we may very well be on the brink of seeing something really special in C'Ville.

Jameel Sewell

Realistically, we will likely be somewhere around 7-5 this season, which should land us in a Bowl Game. If we win the Bowl game, we will be 8-5. Coming off an 8-5 season our QB will return as a 3rd year starter. In 2008, Ogletree and Minnifield will be back as playmakers at WR. Our entire corps of running backs will be returning with at least one season of experience under their belts. 3 of our best OLs will return along with much improved depth. The TEs will once again be stacked. On defense, while we lose Long, Fitzgerald will become the leader. The nose tackle position will be marked by quality depth and experience, our LB corps should be the best its been since the Sharper/Farrior era, and we will be returning starters at both CB positions. Coming off an 8-5 year, this experienced squad should be a trendy top 20 pick heading into 2008. Then we start the season in C'Ville against the mighty Trojans?? Wow! Talk about program defining games! This is the type of game that will bring the ESPN Gameday Crew to C'Ville and the Hoos will have the opportunity to make a statement to the nation. Obviously we have had a history of botching program defining games such as the Ga. Tech game in '90, the Ga. Tech game in '98, and the FSU game in '04. These opportunities do not come along every year.

While we will head into 2008 with the most expectations of any team since 2004, the difference between the 2008 team and the 2004 team is that the window of opportunity was fairly narrow with the 2004 team. There were a number of graduating seniors on that team (Canty, Miller, Pearman, Big E, etc.) and we were also starting a new QB in Hagans. The 2008 season will not only be lead by an experienced starting QB, but it will also once again return a quality nucleus for the 2009 season. Sewell would be returning for his final season and by that time, Peter Lalich should be groomed to take over the reins when needed. Remember in 2009, we will still have this year's entire corps of running backs except for Cedric Peerman and Josh Zidenberg. We will also have Ogletree and Minnifield along with a host of other current WRs. On the defensive side of the ball, Fitzgerald will be heading into his senior season, Nate Collins will be heading into his senior season, and established LBs such as Bivens, Sewell, and Burrell will be playing alongside J'Courtney Williams, Fells-Danzler, and other quality recruits from the past 2 classes.

Obviously, there will be a level of attrition due to injuries, academics, and other sources. Still, with Groh's renewed commitment to recruiting quality athletes that are a fit academically and the more disciplined use of red shirting policies, it's not difficult to project that we are on the brink of an extremely exciting era of UVA football! That's why 2007 is so critical. We must establish a foundation of respectable results that we can use to propel the program into 2008 and beyond.

Thoughts??

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Wright Named Captain of USA U19 Team: Virginia's Monica Wright was elected by her teammates as a captain for the USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team, which is competiting at the 2007 World Championships in Slovakia. Wright had seven points, an assist, and a steal in 19 minutes of action during the team's most recent contest, a 101-60 blowout win over China.
• Virginia Track and Field Announces Class of 2011: Virginia head track and field coach Randy Bungard announced the 2006-2007 recruiting class. Adding to the depth of the women's team are 12 recruits while the men's squad adds 13. Included in the group are a number of state champions and record holders as well as student-athletes who have made an impact at the national level..
• Monroe Joins Virginia Softball Staff: Eileen Schmidt, Virginia head softball coach, announced Wednesday that Brooke Monroe has been hired as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers. She will begin her duties immediately. At Virginia, Monroe will serve as hitting coach and work with the team's infield. She also will oversee all recruiting efforts.

• Long, Santi Named to ACC Preseason Football Team: Football players Chris Long and Tom Santi have been selected to the 2007 Preseason All-ACC Football Team as voted on by media attending the annual ACC Football Kickoff.
• Santi Named to John Mackey Award Watch List: Cavalier tight end Tom Santi is one of 31 players named to the John Mackey Award watch list announced by the Nassau County Sports Commission. The Mackey Award is presented annually to the best tight end in the country.
• Freshman Golfer Qualifies for U.S. Amateur: Virginia freshman golfer Amory Davis finished second at a sectional qualifying tournament to advance to the 2007 U.S. Amateur Championship.
• Pell Named Virginia Assistant Wrestling Coach: Virginia wrestling head coach Steve Garland has announced the hiring of Matt Pell as assistant coach. Pell comes to Virginia after an outstanding career at Missouri, where he was a two-time All-American and team captain in 2006-07 as the Tigers earned their best-ever finish (third) at the 2007 NCAA Championships.
• Werman Named UVa Baseball Volunteer Assistant Coach: Virginia baseball head coach Brian O'Connor has announced Kyle Werman as the program's new volunteer assistant coach. Werman played from 2002-05 as an infielder for the Cavaliers.

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

Soffe Apparel

Get ready to support your Hoos this football season with Virginia gear from Soffe. UVa Bookstores has many colors and styles available so you can cheer on the Cavs in a variety of ways! Soffe, pronounced So-Fee, has been producing quality apparel since 1946. You can enjoy 25% savings on great UVa imprinted Soffe gear in-store and online.

Issue No. 183 - April 1, 2005

In a surprising if suspiciously timed April Fools Day announcement, athletic director Craig Littlepage named TheSabre.com as Virginia's new men's basketball coach. Fans with message board accounts now have full control of the program.

"Those guys clearly know everything about basketball and how to coach, plus they are passionate about Cavalier athletics," Littlepage said. "To be honest, I don't know why I didn't think of this before. It's a perfect fit."

Starting immediately, all coaching decisions will be made on the Sabre basketball message board. During games, a laptop will be placed on the table next to the UVa bench. Posters will be able to call timeouts, make substitutions, change defenses and berate officials.

At the same time, UVa football coach Al Groh announced that TheSabre.com will take control of the offensive play-calling this season. Ron Prince will monitor the football message board to find out the best way to utilize Marques Hagans. Posters also will be allowed to scrap the 3-4 and install a defensive scheme of their choosing.

"It's about time we were given a more active role," said Sabre editor John Galinsky, who quickly changed the school's apparel contract from Nike to Gucci. "Next up: World domination."

John Galinsky
Former Editor, 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:

• Countdown to Signing Day Chris Horne profiles the state of the Cavaliers' 2008 football class. Who do the Hoos focus on the rest of the way?
  
• JHoo's Summer Reading JHoo's summer reading series wraps up with a look at the defensive backs.
  

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Ranking Virginia In 2006, Part II
The strength Virginia athletics shined in Part I of the 2006 program rankings - how else could teams like men's lacrosse and women's soccer fall outside the top 10? Vandy-Hoo returns with the top 10 Hoo teams of 2006. Where do baeball, men's tennis, men's basketball, and others fall? Plus, Sabre Editor Kris Wright weighs in with his thoughts.

Ranking Virginia In 2006, Part I
Alright Hoos, you paid attention to Virginia sports all season. Every first down, every goal, every base hit, every ankle twist, every finish line, every championship. The blood, sweat, and tears. The good calls. The bad calls. The inevitable screw job by the Carolina refs. (Yeah, I'm looking at you, Valentine.) Well, now that the athletic year is over and before the next set of seasons descends upon us, it's time to think big picture. How did the 2006 teams rank?

ACC Football Kickoff 2007: Swofford Speaks
PINEHURST, N.C. - Leading off the final day of the ACC Football Kickoff, Commissioner John Swofford opened his annual address announcing that Florida State sprinter Walter Dix and Duke's women's basketball stand out Lindsay Harding were the 2006-2007 Male and Female Athletes of the Year. Dix received 31 votes and Harding received 22.

JHoo's Summer Reading: Linebackers
Things that make Al Groh happy ... let me see, how many can I list? His family certainly. A game with no turnovers or penalties. Yes, that will make him teary eyed. His music, absolutely. Film review after a big win has to be on the list. Let me see ... anything else I am forgetting? Oh, yes, a quality depth chart at linebacker. On that last point, Groh should be awfully happy going into this season.

ACC Football Kickoff 2007: VT, FSU Lead Votes
PINEHURST, N.C. - Last season, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest rose to the top in the Atlantic Coast Conference, winning division titles. The Demon Deacons claimed the ACC Championship and received a spot in the Orange Bowl. All of that success earned the duo plenty of media respect at the annual ACC Football Kickoff event, right? Not really. GT and Wake were picked no better than second in their respective divisions. ESPN 840 AM's (Charlottesville) Wes McElroy checks in from the Tar Heel State with a report from around the ACC.

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