London Takes Richmond Job

Last week, SabreMail told you that Mike London was interviewing with the University of Richmond about its head football coaching vacancy. Less than one week later, London accepted the position - which he interviewed for in 2004 but was not hired - at his alma mater. He was officially introduced at a news conference on Saturday.

"I'm excited about the opportunity that has been presented to me," London told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "I've walked the grounds here. I've been on the football field and the practice field. I know what it takes to be a student-athlete at this school. Things didn't work out the first time, but I firmly believe that things happen for a purpose. I needed more training, and now I've come back and I'm ready."

London's depature marks the fourth time during Al Groh's tenure at UVa that an assistant has been hired by another school to be its head coach. Al Golden (Temple), Danny Rocco (Liberty), and Ron Prince (Kansas State) are still head coaches at those schools today.

Of course, this also means that Groh will have to find a replacement yet again. The key for him will be to not only find a capable coach, but a capable recruiter. London was one of the top assistants on the UVa staff on the recruiting trail; high school coaches and players routinely praise London for his genuine interest in recruits.

Stay tuned.

Kris Wright
TheSabre.com

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting ...

In what promised to be an important week for Virginia football recruiting, the staff received disappointing news Sunday when Robinson (Concord, N.C.) offensive tackle R.J. Mattes and South Lakes (Reston, VA) wide receiver A.J. Price committed to other schools.

Mattes, the son of former Virginia standout lineman Ron Mattes, chose N.C. State over Clemson, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. He had been one of Virginia's top targets throughout this process. Price, a 6-4, 170-pound standout, committed to Penn State while on his official visit to Happy Valley. Penn State and Virginia were the finalists for Price, who was a second-team Washington Post all-metro selection this past season.

The news isn't all bad for Virginia, as the official visit weekend appears to have been a success. According to sources, the commitments in town came away very impressed. Stay tuned for updates on the commits that made it to Charlottesville this past weekend.

The staff hosted only one uncommitted prospect in Tennessee signal caller Brent Burnette. The 6-3, 215-pound Burnette has not yet been offered by Virginia, which is now also pursuing Louisiana quarterback Josh Jordan. At this point, Burnette and Jordan seem to be the prime prospects for one quarterback slot. Jordan, a 6-4, 210-pound prospect that recently de-committed from Iowa State, visited East Carolina this past weekend. He has yet to set an official to Virginia.

Stay tuned for more from Burnette and Jordan this week. Also, stay tuned to see if Virginia will pursue other possibilities such as Phoebus CB/WR Reid Evans or Centreville DB Darryl Hamilton.

Basketball recruiting ...

Stay tuned for an EDGE update this week on 6-11, 235-pound center John Brandenburg. The DeSmet Jesuit (St. Louis, MO) recruit has made some changes to his offensive game this year and he feels those changes are starting to pay off. The Virginia signee discusses his senior season, his future at the University of Virginia, and more.

A highly rated big-man recruit, Brandenburg chose Virginia over offers from Florida and Stanford, among others.

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 ...

Record Setting QB Set to Visit UVa
Quarterback Brent Burnette has gone undefeated in his high school career. In his senior season he completed 69-percent of his passes, throwing for 3,521 yards with 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He led Maryville (TN) to its fourth consecutive Class 4A state championship title. Now, the senior signal caller is hoping to accomplish one more thing - a Division 1A scholarship offer. It could happen this weekend.

Class of '09: Lillard Emerging as a Top Prospect
After losing its first two games of the 2007 season, Liberty (Bealeton, VA) captured seven of the next eight games to finish with a 7-3 record. Liberty head coach Tommy Buzzo was proud of his team's effort in rebounding from an 0-2 start, but at the same time he is looking for better results out of next year's squad...a team that will be led by talented defensive back/running back Corey Lillard.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Important Recruiting Week Ahead for Hoos
• Dunn Lands New Offer, Shakes Up List
• One Final Visit for 4-Star OL
• A.J. Price Decision Coming Soon?

Please welcome our newest sponsor Chase to TheSabre.com! Show your true colors and support your community. Apply for the Flexible Rewards Card that let's you choose your reward. CHASE Cards provide great benefits and deliver the superior service you deserve. Choose your design, sign up and support your community. Apply Today!

Email and thank Chase for their support!

Thank you again for supporting the sponsors of TheSabre.com. Please remember that TheSabre's sponsors are YOUR sponsors! They directly contribute towards our ability to bring you a better web site.

Blog Banter: Winter of Hoo Discontent

When bad news hits the fan base, the partisans tend to take things a bit harder than need be. When the bad news comes in bunches, then the whole sky starts collapsing down on everyone. However, after the initial shock, there is a place for categorizing the bad news properly and moving forward.

Remember, this is the time of year when college football teams go through changes. Some of them are expected, some are not. Players graduate or transfer or declare early for the draft or get suspended or arrested or just plain ol' get sick of football. Assistants move on too. Heck, even head coaches of programs might get fired or simply bail on a team. That's the nature of the offseason.

I know I'm not telling anyone something they don't know. But when we get so focused on our problems, it's easy to forget that offseason changes are natural. Right now, we don't know how the changes will play out. Things look grim in the cold of winter, but everything certainly could revert back to stability soon enough.

Read the full blog entry here.

Robert Mahini (Vandy-Hoo)
TheSabre.com

The Sabre Has RSS Feeds

Remember, The Sabre features RSS News Feeds! These "feeds" provide subscribers of those feeds with updated content on a personalized site. So, for example, you can personalize a page at Google or My Yahoo! with continually updated headlines and content from your favorite feed-enabled websites. In effect, you are efficiently following many different sites at once using these "feeds."

Setting up an RSS feed from The Sabre is simple and we've made a page to lead you through the steps. Just click here!

Advertise With The Sabre!

Our advertising approach is different in that we make it abundantly clear in a direct and honest way that your company's commitment of sponsorship dollars is what enables the site to continue existing and improving into the future.

To learn more, please contact [email protected].

The Sabre is a vital part of a unique collegiate sports network that reaches nearly 2 million individuals per month. Like the Sabre, each site in the SportsWar network is an organically grown community and the emotional home for its fans.

To learn more about SportsWar network sponsorship opportunities, please contact [email protected] and visit the SportsWar media guide www.sportswar.com

To view a list of our sponsors, please visit our Sponsors Page.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Top Ranked Cavaliers Open Season With 7-0 Win Over W&M: The top ranked Virginia men's tennis team opened its 2008 season with a 7-0 win over No. 43 William & Mary Sunday at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar's Head Sports Club. It marked the second consecutive season that the Cavaliers opened the season with a 7-0 win over the Tribe. "This was a good match to get the season started," said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. "William & Mary is a quality team and will a tough team to play as the year goes on. We are excited to have the season started and look forward to a challenging match at Illinois on Friday."
• Cavaliers Conclude Play at UVa Winter Invitational: The Virginia women's tennis team concluded play Sunday at the third annual UVa Winter Invitational began at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar's Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers won two doubles matches and one singles match on the final day.
• Cavaliers Split with North Carolina: Virginia freshman Liz Shaw broke the Atlantic Coast Conference record in the 200 butterfly Sunday against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Shaw finished the race in 1:57.04, clocking a NCAA 'A' qualifying standard. Virginia split the meet with North Carolina. The women put up a dominant performance to knock off the defending conference champion and 10th-ranked Tar Heels, 191-109. The Cavalier men, who had won the last nine meetings against UNC in dual meet competition, were edged by UNC, 151-149.
• Wrestling Rolls Over Appalachian State, 24-10: The Virginia wrestling team won seven of its 10 individual matches in earning a 24-10 win over Appalachian State (7-8) Saturday in Boone, N.C. The Cavaliers improve to 11-3 in dual-meet action this season and are one win shy of the school record for dual wins in a season. Rocco Caponi, ranked ninth nationally, improved to 27-1 with a 8-0 major decision over Austin Trotman at 184 pounds.
• Abdulrazaaq hurdles into top-10 all-time for second consecutive week: Virginia's Adams Abdulrazaaq moved into the top-10 in school history for the second consecutive week as he ran an 8.26 in the 60-meter hurdles, taking eighth at the Maryland Invitational as the Cavaliers competed in College Park.
• Sauerbrunn Makes Debut with US Women's National Team: Virginia senior defender Becky Sauerbrunn made her debut with the United States Women's National Team Wednesday in the Americans' 4-0 victory over Canada at the Four Nations Tournament in China. "It was really exciting (to get my first cap)," said Sauerbrunn. "It was a tough game to start off with because Canada has a very disruptive style. It was a little difficult at first keeping possession of the ball, moving it around quickly. But as the game went on, we got more fluid and quicker with the ball and I think we found success."

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

Clearance Sale!
Reduced Prices On Some Favorite Items

Clearance Sale! Enjoy fantastic savings on UVa imprinted clothing and gifts during the UVA Bookstore's annual online Clearance Sale. And don't forget Sabre EDGE subscribers get 10% off with their subscription!

Issue No. 127 - February 27, 2004

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

In basketball recruiting news, the terrific high school career of Penn Charter (Philadelphia, PA) point guard Sean Singletary ended on a great note last Sunday. Singletary, who has signed with UVa, led his team to an 86-75 victory over Germantown Academy in the Inter-Academic League championship game.

"It feels great, but it's sad at the same time," Singletary told the Philadelphia Inquirer following the win. "I hate to say goodbye to my teammates. It was a selfless group."

In the contest, Singletary had 26 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. He was named Inter-Academy MVP. On the season, he averaged 22.9 points per contest.

Singletary is rated as one of the top point guards in the 2003-2004 recruiting class. He is rated a four-star prospect by Insiders.com as well as Rivals.com.

Earlier this week, Brewster Academy defeated Bridgton Academy 82-74. 6-7, 200 pound small forward Adrian Joseph, who has also signed with UVa, finished with 18 points in the winning effort.

One final regular season game remains for Brewster (19-5) when they Northfield Mount Hermon School on February 28th. They then head to the NEPSAC Class A playoffs.

Expect an update on Tunji Soroye very soon as well. The 6-11, 210 pound Montrose Christian Academy (MD) center has turned in a solid season for Coach Stu Vetter. He has verbally committed to UVa.

In football recruiting news, UVa received their third verbal commitment for the 2005 recruiting class this week, when Broad Run (Ashburn, VA) tight end/defensive end Alex Field committed to the 'Hoos. Field, a 6-6, 248 pound prospect, earned Dulles district Player of the Year honors last year as well as first-team all-district tight end.

Though he plays tight end and defensive end in high school, he has the potential to grow into an offensive tackle. Field chose UVa over interest from Maryland and Marshall, among others.

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:

• Position Reviews JHoo breaks down the situation at the various positions on the Virginia football team.
• Floor Game Editor Kris Wright gives you a better look at the Virginia men's basketball team's motion offense.
• Florida State, Georgia Tech The Sabre provides coverage of the Hoos' next two basketball games.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

WCAV: One-On-One London Interview
WCAV TV's J.W. Stehle talks one-on-one with Richmond's Mike London, who was introduced as the Spiders' head coach on Saturday. London discusses his relationship with Al Groh, denies wanting to bring any Virginia assistants with him to Richmond, and his emotional thoughts on the future of Jameel Sewell. Check out the exclusive free video.

Cavaliers Bounce Boston College
The Virginia men's basketball team got back on track - particularly on offense where four starters scored in double figures- and picked up its first ACC victory of the season Saturday night against Boston College. The 84-66 win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Cavaliers, a skid that saw the team score 70 points or less in all three outings.

Hokies Slip Past Hoos
The Cavaliers' scoring woes continued, the Hokies' Deron Washington made a play - freakish or not - and the Virginia men's basketball team squandered a magnificent performance from Sean Singletary in a 70-69 overtime loss to Virginia Tech on Wednesday, the Hoos' first ACC loss in the John Paul Jones Arena.

The Concern Of Mismatching Parts
Ever since the final 10 disastrous minutes of the Gator Bowl, I've been left with a nagging concern about the Virginia football team and its near-term future. The misgivings are related to one position: quarterback. Reading JHoo's QB column this morning only helped the concerns resurface. The uneasy feelings can be pinpointed with one simple phrase: mismatching parts.

Things I Learned About ... The QBs
In kicking off this series of postseason breakdown columns, I could give you a couple of reasons to start with the quarterbacks. But if I am going to be honest, I really just put the column on the quarterback position first because I want to get it behind me. Why, you ask? Because going into this offseason, I am not sure that there is a unit on the team that is causing me more stress than the quarterback spot.

Inside The Game: Gator Bowl
Virginia's agonizing 31-28 loss to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl certainly left Cavalier fans disappointed. After all, the Hoos led by two touchdowns and seemingly had the game under control in the fourth quarter before the win slipped away. The Sabre takes one last look at the bowl game, starting with something encouraging.

More recent updates from The Sabre ...

• Photo Gallery: VT at Virginia
• Best Seat in the House: Chris Long

Get your Wahoo fix. Subscribe to Sabre Edge!

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!

• Sabre Edge Info and Sign Up