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   SabreMail - March 23, 2009
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Ambrose Gives Up Football

Virginia's Mark Ambrose, who redshirted in 2007 and then moved moved over from tight end to linebacker in 2008, has ended his career at Virginia due to recurring shoulder problems. Ambrose played multiple positions at Mount Carmel Area High School and earned a 3-star rating from Rivals.

Ambrose remains enrolled at UVa.

"The continuing issues with both of his shoulders have caused him to have to give up football," Cavalier coach Al Groh said. "It's unfortunate. He was making nice progress and had a great attitude and really practiced well on occasion last year. ... The doctors felt that even with more surgery, there was no guarantee that it would fix the situation and would perhaps put his long-term function of his shoulders in jeopardy. It was an unfortunate decision that collectively we made, but it was the obvious decision to make."

Stay tuned throughout the spring football practice period for more news on your Hoos!


   Recruiting News

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

There is no question what the big news of the week was last week, and it certainly didn't come on the recruiting front. The primary question with respect to recruiting with Dave Leitao's departure is the status of UVa's two 2009 class signees, Bethel (Hampton, VA) point guard Jontel Evans and Word of Life (Springfield, VA) wing forward Tristan Spurlock.

TheSabre.com caught up with Bethel head coach Craig Brehon last week. In an e-mail, Coach Brehon wrote the following about Evans' stance on the UVa coaching change.

"Jontel is going to wait to see who gets the job at UVa," Brehon wrote. "After this, he will talk with the coach and then see if they have plans for him."

The 5-11, 185-pound Evans is coming off a season in which he averaged 14 points, five assists, four rebounds and two turnovers per game. Selected Co-Player of the year in the Peninsula district, Evans led the Bruins to a 23-4 overall record.

"He also had an excellent defensive effort night in and night out," Brehon wrote. "He was a pleasure to have for four years."

Catching up with anyone for concrete comments on 4-star prospect Tristan Spurlock has proven difficult, though TheSabre.com has certainly heard rumors. We hope to have official comments this week. In the meantime, I think it is reasonable to assume that nothing definitive will happen until UVa gets its new coach.

No matter what Spurlock's current feelings are about the situation, UVa will want the 6-8, 220-pound standout to speak with whomever becomes head coach. UVa has control of the situation, as it has to grant Spurlock a release from his letter-of-intent before Spurlock would be free to officially look at other schools.


Football recruiting ...

EDGE subscribers can check out an article on Woodberry Forest (VA) safety Ed Reynolds II today. The 6-2, 190-pound junior has been offered by the Cavaliers as well as Stanford and is drawing interest from a host of other schools, ranging from the ACC to the SEC. Reynolds is the son of former UVa linebacker Ed Reynolds, who played under head coach George Welsh in the early 1980s.

UVa was the first school to offer Reynolds, who discusses the Cavaliers' program in-depth in this article.

Tomorrow, stay tuned for a profile on Pennington Prep (N.J.) safety Dontae Johnson. UVa is one of six offers for the 6-3, 185-pound prospect, who attended UVa's Feb. 28 junior day. He reflects on that trip and discusses his decision-making plans in this piece.

Spring practice is under way, meaning more prospects are likely to stop by Charlottesville to scope out the Cavaliers. Last week, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) head coach Rich Morgan told TheSabre.com that highly touted junior quarterback Phillip Sims is interested in stopping by Charlottesville sometime next month. We'll continue to gather names of potential visitors and write up reports on more kids the staff is interested in from the 2010 class.


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 ...

Sims, Hailes to Take Spring Visits
Image: Phillip SimsOscar Smith High (Chesapeake, VA) is home to two of the most highly recruited rising seniors in quarterback Phillip Sims and defensive tackle Evan Hailes, prospects that each have at least 20 Division 1 scholarship offers according to head coach Rich Morgan. Sims and Hailes plan to hit the road to make recruiting visits this spring...where do they plan to go?

All-State ATH with One Offer
Meadowbrook (Richmond, VA) star Desmond Coble turned in an outstanding junior season, earning AP Group AAA first-team all-state honors in leading the Monarchs to another playoff appearance. Coble, a 5-11, 180-pound prospect who ran a hand-timed sub-4.5 40 at a Central Virginia combine in December, was an all everything performer on offense, throwing for 1,553 yards and 16 scores and rushing for 1,082 yards with 12 scores.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...


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   News, Notes, and Fan Discussion

Al Groh Call-In Show

The "Cavalier Call-In" radio program with Virginia head football coach Al Groh is on the Virginia Sports Radio Network stations across the Commonwealth tonight. The program lasts from 7:06 to 8 p.m. Fans may also listen to the show live online with a V-Pass subscription.

Fans are encouraged to call in or e-mail the program with questions. Listeners may call toll-free with their questions for Coach Groh at 1-877-TALK-UVA (825-5882). Questions may also be sent via e-mail to Dave Koehn at [email protected]. Each week, one person who writes into the show will win $25 at the Cavalier Team Shop Online.

This week's program will be the second to last show of the year with next week's program rounding out the 2008-09 seasons.


Leitao Out At UVa

Official Release
Virginia Athletics Media Relations

Craig Littlepage, University of Virginia director of athletics, today announced the resignation of Dave Leitao as men's head basketball coach, effective immediately.

Littlepage met with Leitao earlier today to discuss the future of the men's basketball program. At that time, Leitao, who has just concluded his fourth season at the University, determined it was in the best interest of the program to step down.

"Dave has been a respected colleague and a fine University representative in the local community during his tenure here. He brought a great deal of leadership, discipline and integrity to his coaching responsibilities," Littlepage said. "I appreciate his hard work and dedication to athletics at the University of Virginia."

Leitao, who came to Virginia from DePaul University, began coaching at UVa in April 2005. His four teams compiled an overall record of 63-60 and participated in three post-season tournaments, including the 2007 NCAA tournament.

A national search for a new men's head basketball coach will get under way immediately. Littlepage did not specify a time frame for concluding the search, taking into account the fact that many of the possible candidates are currently involved in post-season play. "We expect to attract a strong pool of candidates interested in becoming a part of our University community," Littlepage said.

"Our intention is to hire the very best person to lead the University's basketball program consistent with our overall department goals," he added. "Our team has a promising nucleus of young players who we expect will continue to develop."

Leitao and the University have come to a financial agreement that will pay Leitao approximately $2.1 million.


Blog Banter: Enquirer Q&A On Miller

From The Good Ol' Blog

Sean MillerThe last two seasons, Sean Miller's Xavier team has dropped double-digit (108-70 in 2007-08 and 84-70 this season) defeats on the Virginia men's basketball team. Miller posted a 93-39 record his first four years on the job at XU and the Musketeers are 25-7 entering this week's NCAA Tournament. Miller's name is one that has surfaced on the radar since Dave Leitao's departure earlier this week.

The Sabre asked Shannon Russell, the Xavier beat writer for the Cincinnati Enquirer, to answer a couple of quick questions about Miller. Read more about XU on Cincinnati.com's blog and make sure to check out this Russell article on Miller.

The Sabre: Would Sean Miller consider leaving Xavier for an ACC or other power conference job considering his success and status at Xavier?

Shannon: Last offseason, Miller was given a contract extension until 2017-18 - the longest awarded to any XU coach in history. Athletic Director Mike Bobinski said the school was intentionally aggressive because of their respect for Miller and what he has done, and he hopes Miller's stay outlasts his own stay as the AD. Miller, who spent five years at N.C. State as an assistant under Herb Sendek, would perhaps return to the ACC if it was the right fit. His star is rising and in another year or so, he may be able to write his ticket to wherever he wants to go. That said, I don't think he'll go just anywhere for the sake of going. He has a good thing going on at Xavier and his family likes Cincinnati.

Read the full post on The Good Ol' Blog! Make sure to check out a second Q&A feature on Tubby Smith, another potential candidate, on the blog as well.


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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

  • Virginia Advances To NCAA Tournament Second Round: Monica Wright wasn't about to allow an upset. Virginia's junior guard scored all of her 13 points in the second half to push the fifth-seeded Cavaliers past No. 12 Marist 68-61 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Ariana Moorer led the Cavaliers (24-9) with 16 points. Aisha Mohammed had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Lyndra Littles scored 13. Virginia will face California in a second-round game in the Trenton regional on Monday.
  • Wright and Littles Named Regional Finalists for State Farm Coaches' All-America Team: Virginia's Monica Wright and Lyndra Littles were named as two of the 52 regional finalists for the 2009 State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in cooperation with State Farm, announced Tuesday. The State Farm Coaches' All-America Team selection committee will review the 52 candidates and cut the list to 40 finalists on Thursday, March 25. The 40 finalists will all be in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.
  • Top-Ranked Virginia Subdues Johns Hopkins 16-15: Top-ranked Virginia scored the game's final two goals and survived a wild final two minutes to gain a 16-15 win over No. 9 Johns Hopkins Saturday night before 5475 fans at Homewood Field. The win is the Cavaliers' fourth regular-season win in a row over the Blue Jays as they improve to 10-0 this season.
  • No. 7 Cavaliers Upset by No. 9 Princeton, 8-7: The No. 9 Princeton Tigers edged the No. 7 Virginia women's lacrosse team, 8-7, at Klöckner Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The win moves Princeton to 5-1 on the season, while the Cavaliers fall to 6-3. Senior All-American Blair Weymouth led Virginia with two goals and one assist - marking her 50th career game scoring multiple goals.
  • Virginia Finishes 12th at NCAA Championships: The Virginia women's swimming team finished in 12th place with 117 points at the 2009 NCAA Championships, which wrapped up Saturday. Virginia's 12th-place finish is the highest since 2002 when the Cavaliers also placed 12th overall. "It was a tremendous performance," Virginia coach Mark Bernardino said. "We battled in every single race for each other and it was just a great finish. It was been a nice progression over the last three years, and to move from 20th to 12th in one year is tremendous. I was really hoping for a top-15 finish and we were able to do a little bit better than that. These kids earned everything they got with their hard work and dedication."
  • No. 6 Virginia Rowing Sweeps Bucknell To Open Season: The Virginia rowing team opened its season by winning five races against Bucknell on Friday at the Rivanna Reservoir. The Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, Varsity Four, Novice Eight and Second Novice Eight all were victorious against the Bison. "It was a good start to our season," Virginia coach Kevin Sauer said. "We obviously have a lot to work on but we're pleased with the results. Bucknell is a good team so we feel good."
  • Christensen Takes Fifth in 100 Back: Virginia's Mei Christensen earned All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 100 back Friday at the 2009 NCAA Championships. Christensen collected All-America honors, the second individual All-America award of her career, touching at 51.99.
  • Henrich Clinches All-America Honors at NCAA Championships: Virginia wrestler Chris Henrich has clinched All-America honors at the 2009 NCAA Wrestling Championships, held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. Henrich defeated Illinois' John Dergo, 6-1, in the wrestlebacks to earn his place among the top eight wrestlers nationally at 174 pounds. Henrich becomes Virginia's first All-American since 2004, when Tim Foley and Scott Moore each finished among the nation's top eight.
  • Carraway Tabbed as Candidate for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award: Virginia senior pitcher Andrew Carraway has been named one of 30 baseball candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition. These 30 student-athletes will be narrowed down to 10 finalists in mid-April, and those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot. Online fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.
  • Men's Tennis Downs Georgia Tech 6-1: The No. 1 Virginia men's tennis team posted their seventh consecutive 20-win season as they improved to 20-0 this year with a 6-1 victory over No. 62 Georgia Tech Sunday afternoon at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers also improved to 5-0 in the ACC. "This was a good weekend for us," said Virginia coach Brian Boland. "We continue to get better with each match. There are some areas where individually we still need to improve, but as a team we are coming together. Our goal is to be playing our best tennis in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments."
  • Women's Tennis Suffers Loss at No. 13 Clemson: The No. 20 Virginia women's tennis team suffered its second loss of its weekend road trip, falling to No. 13 Clemson 6-1. The Cavaliers fall to 10-4 overall and 3-2 in the ACC.
  • Cavaliers Hang On To Beat NC State, 5-3: The Virginia softball team (18-7, 1-2 ACC) held on to beat N.C. State 5-3 Sunday at Dail Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. The Cavalier win was the first conference victory of the season. Senior Carly Winger's two-run home run in the top of the seventh proved to be the difference.
  • Cavalier Golfers Finish 11th at Schenkel Invitational: The Virginia men's golf team finished the Schenkel E-Z Go Invitational in 11th place after shooting 7-over 295 during Sunday's final round. The Cavaliers completed their third spring tournament at 21-over 885.

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

   UVa Bookstores - The Place for Wahoo Gear!

Nike Conference Sabre Nikefit Polo
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The Nike Conference Sabre NikeFIT polo is a lightweight three-button striped polo with a self-fabric collar. The V-Sabre is embroidered left chest with the Nike Swoosh on the right.

   SabreMail History

Issue No. 264 - October 23, 2006

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Image: Mike ScottMike Scott, a 6-8, 215-pound power forward recruit, made an official visit to UVa last week. The visit went well according to Scott's father, Michael. However, a commitment does not appear to be imminent at this point. The Hargrave Military Academy prospect plans to visit each of his remaining finalists before making a decision.

Scott was hosted on the visit by Sean Singletary and freshman Will Harris. Stay tuned for a full update on the Sabre EDGE later today.

This weekend, UVa expects to host five-star power forward Patrick Patterson on an official visit. The 6-8, 235-pound Huntington (W.V.) prospect has made official visits to Florida, Duke, and Kentucky. He is also considering West Virginia and Wake Forest and has scheduled an official visit to Wake for next weekend.

Patterson had a great time on his latest official visit, which was to Kentucky. The Hoos will need to make a huge impact to come away with his commitment, but Leitao and company at least have a chance.

Check Out SabreMail #264.

   What's New on 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 soon:

  • Jed Williams: Jed Williams weighs in this week on the men's basketball coaching change at Virginia.
  • Photo Galleries: Mike Ingalls has been lugging his camera all around UVa sports venues. Stay tuned for more spring sports photos!
  • Spring Football: What's on tap with the Hoos as spring football rolls on?


In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Canes Battle Past Young Hoos
Image: Brian O'ConnorThe Hurricane's blow out of Charlottesville taking the series and Virginia's win-streak with them. In a game that featured four lead changes in only eight innings play (because of ACC travel restrictions), Miami landed on top, stealing the rubber match 7-5. But if they couldn't pull out the win, Virginia Coach Brian O'Connor will take some solace in the fact that his team provided a gritty, hard-fought battle.

Hall To Work Only At QB This Spring
Image: Vic HallAs the Virginia football team opens spring practice, Vic Hall will pick up exactly where he left off the 2008 season - at quarterback. Cavalier coach Al Groh indicated during a teleconference Friday that Hall would practice solely at quarterback this spring since he is so proficient at cornerback, where he has played almost his entire career. Preparing Hall this way in the spring opens the door for him to potentially play multiple roles for the Hoos this fall.

Q&A - Steven Proscia
Image: Steven ProsciaThe UVa baseball team has roared off the starting block in the early going thanks to contributions from freshman Steven Proscia. The Sabre caught up with Proscia to discuss everything from offseason training to the tradition of Virginia. The Cavaliers host Miami for a three-game series this weekend.

Photo Gallery: Virginia 14, Cornell 10
Image: Garrett BillingsGarrett Billings and the Virginia men's lacrosse team have jumped out to a 9-0 start this season, marking the third time in the last four years the Cavaliers have started 6-0 or better. Among the early season wins was a solid 14-10 victory against Cornell in a battle of top 5 teams. Check out some of the action with 58 images in this photo gallery.

Basketball Success? Pitt's Doable
Image: Coach LeitaoThe news about Dave Leitao's departure has set off the usual firestorm of speculation among Virginia fans. Who is UVa likely targeting? Who would accept the job? The first step in picking a coach, in my opinion, is picking a program model from three S's. Successful, similar, and sustainable. What model is out there already for Virginia? I point to Pittsburgh.

Time Runs Out For Leitao
Image: Coach Leitao Just as quickly as it looked promising, vying for NCAA tournament bids in the first two years, it fell apart in the next two. University officials announced Dave Leitao had coached his final game at Virginia on Monday afternoon. Two years removed from an ACC Coach of the Year Award, the former Cavalier coach saw his program, and along with it the support of students, fans and donors, decline steadily.

Leitao Out At UVa
Image: Dave LeitaoTheSabre.com has confirmed multiple reports that Virginia men's basketball coach Dave Leitao is out at UVa. Fox Sports, CBS Sports, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Daily Progress, and The Roanoke Times all have reports online at this time. All told, Leitao completes a four-year run in Charlottesville with a 63-60 record and one NCAA Tournament appearance. Stay tuned to The Sabre for more news on the situation.


   Sabre Edge

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If you're a true Wahoo, then the Sabre Edge is right for you. Check it out!


 
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