Williford Returns To UVa

Former Virginia basketball player Jason Williford has been selected as a member of the new men's basketball coaching staff at Virginia. Tony Bennett, who was officially introduced on April 1, offered Williford a position last week according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch. Williford, 35, leaves the staff of former Cavalier coach Jeff Jones at American University. Jones had high praise for Williford in the RTD.

"He didn't come in thinking that, because he'd played, he had all the answers," Jones said. "I think he understands there's a hell of a lot more to coaching than having played or knowing the game. He's really been a student of the profession."

Jeff White, the beat writer who filed the above report, also has some more coaching news up on his blog today. White believes that Ritchie McKay (associate head coach), Jason Williford, Ron Sanchez, and likely Brad Soucie (director of basketball operations), who worked with McKay at Liberty, will make up the UVa coaching staff. Read the full blog post here.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Word of Life (Springfield, VA) senior forward Tristan Spurlock made an official visit to the University of Virginia this past weekend. He hopes to have a decision on his college future by early this week.

The 6-8, 220-pound prospect, rated a 4-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com, signed a letter of intent with UVa last November. Should he decide to look at other schools, he would have to ask for a release out of the letter and would then need Virginia to grant the request.

Stay tuned for more, as we will continue to follow up with Spurlock for the latest.

We'll also check in with Bethel (Hampton, VA) point guard Jontel "Bub" Evans, a 5-11 senior who also signed with the Cavaliers last fall. Evans, known for his defensive prowess, reportedly met with head coach Tony Bennett last Thursday but still has yet to make a final decision on his future.

Virginia securing Spurlock would likely help to do the same with Evans, as the two are friends from being on the Boo Williams AAU squad last spring and summer.

Virginia will have its Spring Game this Saturday and 2010 class prospects are expected to be in attendance. We'll provide a full list of players we've confirmed by Saturday morning on the EDGE board. A few players we've confirmed so far include Good Counsel (Wheaton, MD) wide receiver E.J. Scott, a speedster with seven official offers. Scott is high on the Cavs, but a decision isn't expected to come until the early summer.

Ocean Lakes (Virginia Beach, VA) wide receiver Justin Hunter, one of the top rising senior wide receivers in the nation, is also planning to attend. The 6-4, 180-pound prospect has received offers from top programs all across the country. Leaving the state is a definite possibility with Hunter, though the talented prospect has not ruled out staying in-state. It will be important for Virginia to impress during the visit.

In-state offensive lineman Khamrone Kolb, a 6-6, 285-pound prospect out of Lake Braddock (Burke), indicated in an interview last month that he may attend the Spring Game. Kolb is highest right now on Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Stay tuned for more on the football recruiting front throughout the week.

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 ...

Spurlock to Visit UVa
Word of Life (Springfield, VA) forward Tristan Spurlock met with new Virginia head coach Tony Bennett last Wednesday, but the 6-8, 220-pound senior has yet to decide whether he will stay solid on his decision to attend UVa or if he will ask out of the letter of intent he signed last November. A decision should be made by next week, though, and this weekend will be very important.

Metheny Anxious to Move Past Injury
Sherando (Stephens City, VA) quarterback Ross Metheny, one of 24 high school seniors to sign with the University of Virginia in the 2009 class, traveled to Charlottesville earlier this week and returned home with some very good news.

Catching Up With Tim Smith
An AP and VHSCA Group AAA first-team all-state selection as a senior, 6-1, 185-pound wide receiver Tim Smith looks to carry the success he enjoyed on the high school level on to the college level...and he hopes to do it immediately. Smith, who had 73 receptions for 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior, heads to UVa with the expectation that he will see playing time as a true freshman.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Collegiate Star Seeks First Offer
• Ohio QB Plans Return Visit to UVa
• Good Counsel WR Plans Return Visit to UVa
• Farris Earns Two Offers
• Ocean Lakes' Talented Tandem

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Vote For Glading

Virginia senior Danny Glading has put together a fine career for the men’s lacrosse program. Entering 2009, Glading had posted 160 career points (87 goals, 73 assists). Last season, he was one of only six players in the country with 30 goals and 30 assists. In three seasons on the team, Glading earned the ACC Rookie of the Year Award and back-to-back All-American honors (third team in 2007 and second team in 2008).

Glading is also the model student-athlete that University of Virginia fans love. An Economics major, he currently boasts a 3.4 GPA in the subject. Glading studied abroad in Spain last summer. Plus, his family has strong UVa ties - older brother Billy was an All-American midfielder on the Hoos’ 2003 National Championship team.

Make sure to cast your vote for Glading in the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award poll (click here). Read more about why Glading is a top candidate for the award.

Spring Football Q & A with Jameel Sewell

From Virginiasports.com

Senior quarterback Jameel Sewell is back taking snaps for the Cavalier offense after missing the 2008 season while he was not enrolled at the University. Two years ago he helped the Cavaliers to a New Year’s Day bowl appearance at the Gator Bowl and he has his sights set on getting Virginia back to postseason play this fall. Sewell and the Cavaliers will play the annual Spring Football game Saturday. Fan activities start at noon and the football game starts at 2 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

Question: With the majority of the spring practices behind you, what are your impressions of the new offense the team is putting into place for next season?

Sewell: It allows us to do a lot of things, so I like it. We are able to put a lot of playmakers on the field and to spread them out and try to distribute the ball to everybody. That means a lot of people can contribute to it. As far as the quarterbacks, it gives us a chance to really showcase our arms and ability to throw the ball a lot.

Question: It sounds like you feel this approach fits your abilities as a quarterback and playmaker.

Sewell: Yes, but it is not just a passing offense. In order for us to make it go, we have to be able to run the ball as well, regardless of who is at quarterback or what back is playing. I think it really fits me perfectly with the things I am able to do with my abilities.

Question: Have you ever played in a no huddle offense?

Sewell: Never.

Read the full Q&A on Virginiasports.com!

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• No. 11 Virginia Ties No. 8 Georgia Tech, 4-4: Franco Valdes hit the game-tying single in the top of the ninth inning as the No. 11 Virginia baseball team finished in a 4-4 tie with No. 8 Georgia Tech on Sunday. The game was called after nine innings because of ACC travel policy. It was a fitting end to a close series. All three contests were decided in the ninth inning. In the first game Saturday, Georgia Tech scored a run to break a 6-6 tie and win 7-6. In the second game, UVa rallied from a 10-5 ninth-inning deficit to score six times and pull out an 11-10 win.
• Men’s Tennis Tops N.C. State 6-1: The No. 1 Virginia men’s tennis team completed its third consecutive undefeated ACC regular season with a 6-1 victory over No. 51 N.C. State on Saturday. The Cavaliers, who have gone through the league undefeated in four of the past five years, improve to 26-0 and 11-0 in the conference.
• Women’s Tennis Downs N.C. State in Regular Season Finale: The No. 29 Virginia women’s tennis team concluded its regular season schedule with a 5-2 win over N.C. State on Sunday afternoon at the Snyder Tennis Center. The win improves the Cavaliers’ record to 12-8 overall and 5-6 in the ACC.
• Virginia Falls to Duke 15-10: Duke defeated Virginia 15-10 on Saturday afternoon. The win is Duke’s sixth in a row over the Cavaliers dating back to the 2005 season and ends Virginia’s winning streak at 12 games. The eight-ranked Blue Devils improve to 9-3 overall this season, while Virginia is now 12-1. Both teams finished the season with 2-1 ACC record.
• Smith Breaks Program’s All-Time 100m Hurdle Record: Junior Ayla Smith broke her second school record of the year on Saturday at the Lou Onesty/Milton Abramson Invitational, winning the 100m hurdles in 13.65. Smith bettered current teammate Lauren Echko's time of 13.72 from last year and currently holds the program’s all-time 60m hurdles indoor record, also, running 8.39 this past winter. A pair of Cavalier All-Americans won the discus competitions, with senior Yemi Ayeni winning the men’s side with a season-best throw of 197’ 2". Senior Billie-Jo Grant led the women with a season-best toss of 167’ 8”, while Caitlin Kelly finished runner-up with a mark of 159’ 2".
• No. 13 UVa Wins 10 Races Against Tennessee, UCF: The 13th-ranked Virginia rowing team won 10 of its 12 races on Saturday, including varsity race sweeps of No. 19 Tennessee and Central Florida. In between sessions, Virginia welcomed back Melanie Kok (Class of 2007). Kok rowed with the Canadian lightweight double that won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Kok was in attendance for the dedication of the Varsity Eight boat. The boat has been named after Kok and former teammate Lindsay Shoop (Class of 2004). Shoop won the gold medal with the United States women’s eight at the Beijing Olympics.
• Cavaliers Finish Eighth at River Landing Intercollegiate: The Virginia men’s golf team finished in eighth place at N.C. State’s River Landing Intercollegiate event after shooting 4-under 284 during Saturday’s final round. The Cavaliers completed the 54-hole event at 14-over 878.
• No. 14 UNC Takes Two From Virginia Softball: The Virginia softball team (24-14, 2-9 ACC) was defeated twice by 14th-ranked North Carolina (37-7, 12-2 ACC) on Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Tar Heels took the first game of the doubleheader, 8-3, and won the second, 6-0.

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

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Issue No. 317 - November 12, 2007

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Basketball recruiting ...

The Early Signing Period for Men's Basketball begins on Wednesday and lasts through next Wednesday, November 21. All three of UVa's commitments - G Sylven Landesberg, C John Brandenburg and C Assane Sene - are expected to sign within this period. Though team rankings have yet to come out, Virginia's class is expected to be highly rated.

The 6'6", 190-pound Landesberg, a star out of Holy Cross High School (Flushing, N.Y.), is rated a 4-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com. Rivals currently rates him as the 54th best prospect in the country, while Scout considers him to be the 38th best overall recruit. Brandenburg, a 6'11", 235-pound prospect out of De Smet Jesuit (St. Louis, MO), is also rated a 4-star prospect by the two main national recruiting sites. He is rated the 68th best prospect in the country by Rivals and the 81st best by Scout. Sene, a promising prospect, is rated a 3-star recruit by Rivals and Scout. The 7'0", 230-pound South Kent (CT) prospect could rise significantly with a standout senior season.

Stay tuned to the coming weeks for analysis on Virginia's 2008 class of signees as well as a look at how the rest of the ACC has done in the early going.

Check Out SabreMail #317.

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:

• More on Bennett: Jed Williams is working on his next column for The Sabre while Ben D'Alessandro will also check in with an analysis of the mover-blocker offense Bennett has used in the past.
• QBs Ready For Spring Game: The Sabre caught up with Virginia's quarterbacks. What else is on tap with the Hoos as spring football rolls on?
• Illinois Impact: Stay tuned for a feature on senior Matt Kelly.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Hoos Looking For New Sack Leaders
With the likes of Chris Long and Clint Sintim in the mix, it has been awhile since Virginia coach Al Groh has been faced with a question of pass rushing. After Long's departure, Sintim filled the void nicely in 2008. But with a lot of new faces in key defensive positions this season, the question remains: where will the sacks come from? With many candidates to possibly fill the void, Groh discussed some of the options on Wednesday.

Players Ready To Get Started
When Tony Bennett first met the media last week, he recounted something the players said in their first meeting: "They said, 'We need to be unified and we need to play with passion.'" The new Virginia men's basketball coach said the response was exciting. Sylven Landesberg explained what the unification theme could mean on offense.

Cavs' Luck Begins To Turn
Virginia coach Brian O'Connor knows that in baseball if you keep swinging, eventually the hits will fall. After Saturday's close loss to Maryland, however, it seemed the Hoos had angered the baseball gods. Despite making good solid contact throughout the game, they couldn't get a big hit to fall when they needed it, leaving eight men on base.

Q&A - Nate Collins
It's hard to believe, but defensive lineman Nate Collins is nearing the end of his Cavalier career. The only player in the 2006 recruiting class that didn't redshirt, he is working through his final spring practice and preparing for his senior campaign on the football field. Collins is closing in on 1,000 career plays and 100 career tackles and hopes to have a strong senior season "to help this team win." The Sabre caught up with Collins at the McCue Center last week to talk about spring practice, his career, and more.

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