Blog Banter: Women's Soccer Roundup

With the NCAA's fall sports season finished, I decided to take a look at how all the Virginia teams fared this year on the Good Ol' Blog. I'll start with the women's soccer team. The team's final record was 13-4-6 with a loss in the NCAA Tournament.

The Hoos finished in the top four of the ACC's regular season standings with a 5-2-3 record Five women earned conference accolades. Three of those players were first team selections, including defender Becky Sauerbrunn (St. Louis, Mo.), who was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

In the end, this season was a solid one ... with a good record that slightly improved on last season and a slew of postseason victories. While the team didn't match last year's Sweet 16 appearance, the Hoos appear to be in good shape for next season with 21 players returning including several who earned recognition for their play in 2007.

Read the full blog entry here!

Robert Mahini (Vandy-Hoo)
TheSabre.com

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting ...

I decided to move back the latest edition to "Countdown to Signing Day" for this week and the feature will be posted weekly up until Signing Day. After a few Quiet Period days the past few days, recruiting is once again in a Dead Period right now. The Dead Period lasts until Jan. 11, which is really the first day of the final stretch in recruiting.

Jan. 11 and 12 are Quiet Period days. Official visits are allowed this weekend, but Virginia's big weekend will be on the weekend of the Jan. 18. We'll touch more on that next week. This Sunday is the first day coaches are again allowed to make in-home visits with recruits. That is the beginning of the Contact Period, which lasts until Feb. 3. Signing Day is Wednesday, Feb. 6.

For the latest picture of Virginia's 2008 recruiting scene, stay tuned for the "Countdown to Signing Day" feature.

There are a few things to look out for this weekend. Winslow Township (Atco, N.J.) wide receiver Brandon Jones plans to make an unofficial visit to Rutgers this Friday. If he likes what he sees, he could commit to the Scarlet Knights. If he decides to wait, Jones hopes to make an official visit to Virginia on the weekend of Jan. 25. Read more about Jones on the EDGE.

Also, Robinson (Concord, N.C.) offensive tackle R.J. Mattes is nearing the end of his recruiting process. The 6-7, 275-pound prospect, one of Virginia's top overall targets in this class, plans to make an official visit to Clemson this weekend and will head to South Carolina on the weekend of the Jan. 18. He plans to decide soon after the visit to Columbia. We will try to catch up with R.J. following this weekend's official visit, so stay tuned for more next week.

Chamblee (GA) OL/DL Omoregie Uzzi plans to make an official visit to Alabama this weekend. He is also considering Georgia Tech and Virginia according to reports. We will try to catch up with Uzzi following this weekend's trip.

Basketball recruiting ...

DeSmet Jesuit (St. Louis, MO) center John Brandenburg has played in 12 of his team's 13 games this season, missing one contest due to a back injury. Stats for the most recent game - a Jan. 4 victory over CBC - are not available. Through 11 games, the 6-11, 235-pound senior is averaging 11.3 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.18 blocks per game.

Check out an EDGE update on one of Virginia's low post targets for the 2009 recruiting class. Booker T. Washington (Norfolk, VA) standout Deshawn Painter, a 6-8 recruit, has already been offered by Virginia and many others. He discusses his recruitment, among other things, in the update.

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 ...

5-Star Junior DeShawn Painter Boasts Top Offers
Virginia and Virginia Tech do not have to look far for one of the top class of 2009 basketball recruits in the country. 6-8 power forward DeShawn Painter, a junior out of Norfolk's Booker T. Washington High School, is rated a 5-star prospect by Rivals.com and Scout.com and claims scholarship offers from some of the nation's best men's basketball programs.

Brookville's Thomas at Three Offers and Counting
Star junior Logan Thomas led Brookville (Lynchburg, VA) to a 9-4 overall record including a Division 3, Region III championship title in 2007. Thomas, the starting quarterback for the Bees, has drawn serious interest from Division 1A programs. He currently boasts three scholarship offers from ACC programs and is likely to receive more offers by the time his junior year comes to an end.

Coach Discusses Owah's Decision
After a tough year recruiting the state of Virginia in the 2008 class, the University of Virginia football staff got off to a great start in the 2009 class with a commitment from 5-11, 170-pound Harrisonburg star Alex Owah. After considering an early decision for several months, Owah pledged to the staff this past Saturday. He informed his head coach, Tim Sarver, of his decision yesterday.

TheSabre.com Postseason Top 30
Here is the final 2008 class edition of TheSabre.com's Top 30. There has been some movement in the Top 30, including a few significant movers in the Top 10. Every prospect in the Top 30 has at least two Division 1A scholarship offers, and most have made their respective verbal commitments.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Jones Delays Rutgers Visit
• Top Junior Center Sees Recruitment Take Off
• Price Only Considering Three Schools
• Reports: Owah Commits to Hoos
• Garden State WR Has Final Two
• Class of '09 Profile: Harrisonburg RB Alex Owah
• 4-Star Wilson Considers Official Visits
• Class of '09: State Champion Stone Bridge
• Deep Run Junior Lands First Offer

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V-Sabres Worldwide in Wahoowa! Section

TheSabre.com's fan section - Wahoowa! - highlights the fan experience. License plate photos, desktop wallpaper, WCAV video, fan of the week, and more are found in this FREE exclusive area of the site.

Mike Ingalls at the Parthenon in Greece.

We want to expand our section, though! This week, we're looking for photos to include in the V-Sabres Worldwide gallery. V-Sabres Worldwide is a collection of photos sent to us from Hoos from around the globe. For example, check out our own Mike Ingalls (Boardhost) at the Parthenon on the Acropolis site in Athens, Greece.

2008 UVA BASKETBALL FAN T-SHIRT
$10.00

Get this year's basketball fan t-shirt as the Hoos try to defend their ACC regular season championship! The 2008 UVA Basketball fan t-shirt features a full-front design with a partial basketball over top Virginia Hoops with Hoo emphasized. The tag line The Hoo in Hoops is underneath.

Issue No. 16 - Dec. 20, 2001

Marcus Hamilton says UVa leads, slightly

What's the status on the best cornerback in the state of Virginia?

"Virginia has a slight lead over Maryland right now," Marcus Hamilton said. "I visited Maryland on the 7th. I wasn't really too interested in them at first, but when I went on my visit, everything about it impressed me. I didn't see much that was negative. [As for Virginia], I've been waiting to see the area and the campus before I make my decision. I'll probably wait until my official visit [the weekend of January 18th] before I decide. It will more than likely be the 21st, that's like the day after I get back home. I'll get back on the 20th and have a day to think about it, and the 21st I'll make my decision."

Hamilton is another recruit who keeps tabs on the others in state.

"I just got off the phone with Mike [Johnson]. He's a good guy. I talk to [Ahmad] Brooks all the time. I talk to Stefan [Orange], Brooks and Mike Johnson the most. I think Brooks is taking his time with his decision too."

Hamilton got to know most of the in-state recruits on his visit to UVa for the Tom Lemmings photo shoot.

"When I was at UVa for the Tom Lemmings picture, Stefan and I were the corners down there, so we bonded that way. I knew Keenan [Carter] before, but we got closer after the picture."

Several players from that photo shoot have already committed to the Cavaliers, and many more have UVa in their top two. What kind of affect did the photo shoot have on Virginia's recruiting efforts.

"I think it's had a big affect on it," Hamilton said. "It did help."

So what's the chance that all of these recruits commit before signing day?

"I don't think any of those players [Brooks, Parham, Vick and Johnson] are going to commit anytime soon. But, I think what is going to happen is that all of them are going to commit at the same time, as one big commitment. Their decisions will affect mine a little bit, but ultimately, it's going to have to be where I feel comfortable."

Hamilton, 6-1, 180, is listed as the best cornerback in the state of Virginia and is rated four stars and listed as the #11 player at his position nationally by Rivals100.com

"My best asset is my ability to cover. I've got good hips and I can turn ... that's what I've been told by all of the coaches who have seen me play."

UVa Coach Al Golden has been assigned to recruit Hamilton. So far, Hamilton likes what he sees.

"[Golden] knows what he's doing. He's a good guy. He knows what he wants and he goes out and gets it."

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:

• Gator Bowl revisited The Sabre will take a look back at the Gator Bowl.
• Basketball Roundtable The Sabre has assembled some media members who cover Virginia for a roundtable discussion on the basketball team as the Hoos head in to ACC play.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Best Seat In The House: Branden Albert
Virginia offensive lineman Branden Albert decided after the Gator Bowl to bypass his senior season at UVa to enter the NFL Draft. What factors were part of his decision? What did the All-ACC guard learn from former NFL coach Al Groh? How excited is he about the chance to play pro football? Check out all the answers and more in this special audio feature from Jay James and The Best Seat in the House.

Musketeers Maul Cavs
Fourteen seconds in to Virginia's final non-conference game of the season, a Cavalier defensive breakdown resulted in a Derrick Brown dunk and Xavier never looked back as it dominated Thursday night in Cincinnati with a 108-70 victory, topping the century mark for the second game in a row after its 103-77 victory over Kansas State on Monday night.

Hoos Heartbroken By Raider Rally
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Five times this season, the Virginia football team escaped with a win of two points or less. Middle Tennessee State, Maryland, Connecticut, and Wake Forest all came down to the final seconds with UVa emerging victorious. In the season's final game, however, the Cardiac Cavs had their heart broken in that very fashion as Texas Tech scored the game's final 17 points to win 31-28 on a field goal in the final 10 seconds.

Gator Bowl Notes: Focused For Kickoff
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Virginia football team has moved near the 24-hour window prior to kickoff at the Gator Bowl and the final few moments of fun are wrapping up in Jacksonville. Al Groh, whose team has enjoyed everything from miniature golf to zoo trips to today's Gator Bowl luncheon, said the Gator Bowl trip has been a good one for his team. However, the Cavaliers' head coach has already shifted to business mode and the challenge of playing Texas Tech with kickoff officially on the radar screen.

Keeping Perspective
Wahoos, we can't change our football past, no matter how hard we try. Nor should we attempt to. But to dismiss it is equally dangerous (isn't there some pithy axiom about "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it"?). It's called perspective. As a transplant into the belly of the SEC football beast - Alabama - I've learned the importance of that one word above all others. It's a word us Wahoos should cling to with all our collective might as football fortunes rise and fall faster than a Bobby Petrino mood swing.

Other recent updates ...

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