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SabreMail - August 24, 2009 |
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Blog Banter: No Calls A Good Call
Mike Ingalls Some will claim the recent decision to drop callers from the weekly football radio show is because Coach Groh is afraid to take calls from fans. I don't believe it is. I believe it's in part to prevent fans from damaging the program with ill-advised comments that can be heard from just about anywhere in the world. When you get right down to it, the coaches show is there for one simple purpose, to build support and exposure for the program, particularly in the eyes of recruits and their families, but also to help attract new fans, donors and season ticket holders. It is not about opening up the coach, live and on the air, to mean-spirited comments and accusations of poor coaching. The call-in segment of the show in recent years has been disgusting and not becoming of the UVa fan base. Even if the coach isn't doing a great job, there's a certain level of respect that should be given when asking a question or providing a comment. It's not like Coach Groh isn't trying to win. The guy eats, sleeps and lives football. While critical or thought provoking questions might be acceptable, many of critical comments were well below the belt. Why should UVa pay for that? Maybe this is the best thing for all. The new format subtracts the jackass factor from the equation and prevents the boring, 'Great job this week' comments that do nothing but fill up air time. But it does allow for write-in questions and comments that can be read aloud. I don't need to hear four different people say or ask the same thing. Give me just one intelligent comment and question pertaining to an area, answer it, and then move on. Is this censorship? Hardly. This is a show produced and paid for by UVa. They make the rules and they know the score. Plus, there are plenty of other venting posts for fans who want to have their voices heard: online forums such as the ones on this site, and other on-air talk shows like Best Seat in the House and the new Hoos Talking show that begins the first week of September. For now, asking the tough questions directly to the coach is reserved for the media. But don't blame Virginia. As fans, we had our chance and we blew it. Now we have this. If Virginia fans want their voice heard directly, fans will have to rely on sending emails, attending special functions like VAF socials, or speaking their minds through monetary means (donations, ticket purchases, etc.). The days of open mike night for Cavalier football fans are over, at least when the show is a paid program by the University of Virginia. Can't say I blame them.
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Recruiting News | |||||
This Week In Recruiting UVa scored its 10th commitment of the 2010 football recruiting class last week, when 5-10, 175-pound Bethel (Hampton, VA) standout cornerback Rijo Walker pledged to Al Groh and company. Walker, a highly recruited player, chose Virginia over offers from East Carolina, N.C. State, South Carolina and West Virginia, among others. Walker, who has tallied 15 interceptions over the course of the past two seasons, is a nice get for the staff. He is the third defensive back in this class, joining probable safety prospects Pablo Alvarez and Kyrrel Latimer. The Virginia staff also had a close look at him at camp in late June, which is when Al Groh extended the scholarship offer. A 3-star prospect, Walker joins Bayside (Virginia Beach) linebacker Henry Coley and Deep Run (Glen Allen) offensive lineman Conner Davis as in-state rising seniors that have committed to the Cavaliers. This week, I'll check in with another top cornerback target, Good Counsel (Wheaton, MD) rising senior Louis Young. The 6-1, 195-pound prospect is a top football prospect but also has potential as a point guard on the basketball court. He was slated to visit UVa this past weekend, and I'm scheduled to check in with him today to follow up. UVa already has a commitment from top Good Counsel wide receiver prospect E.J. Scott in this class. Stay tuned for more this week.
6-11, 200-pound center Marshall Plumlee is back at Christ School today, beginning his junior year at the Arden (N.C.) private school. But before he made it back, he made a flurry of college visits that included a trip to the University of Virginia last Friday. I caught up with Plumlee last night for thoughts on his visit to Charlottesville. He said he "thoroughly enjoyed" the experience and especially seemed to have hit it off with the UVa coaching staff. Touring the Grounds and meeting with Athletic Director Craig Littlepage were among the activities on the schedule last Friday. A full report on Plumlee's experience will be posted on TheSabre EDGE today, so be sure to check it out. In case you missed it, be sure to check out the EDGE profile I wrote on Marshall earlier this month. One of the top big men in the 2011 recruiting class, Plumlee is the younger brother of current Duke basketball players Miles and Mason Plumlee. Under former head coach Dave Leitao, Virginia was a heavy player with Miles. Also on the basketball recruiting front, the weekend of Sept.12 is shaping out to be an important one. The UVa staff is trying to bring in its 2010 class commits in along with some top remaining 2010 class targets, including DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) guard Jerian Grant. Grant, a 6-4 prospect, has narrowed his list to Charlotte, DePaul, Notre Dame, Providence and Virginia. He has scheduled official visits to Notre Dame and Virginia for the first two weekends in September. In an EDGE article posted last Friday, Grant, the son of former Oklahoma and NBA player Harvey Grant, discusses why Virginia made the cut and what his expectations are for the weekend of the 12th. We'll also check in with Provo (UT) guard Kyle Collinsworth again this week to see if he has scheduled his official to UVa, which is one of four schools to make his finalists list. BYU, Stanford and USC are also the finalists.
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 ...
Q&A with Rijo Walker
Morgan Moses, Cody Wallace Enroll at FUMA
UVa One of Two Visits Set for Jerian Grant More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...
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Support TheSabre.com's Sponsors | |||||
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News, Notes, and Fan Discussion | |||||
Hoo Preview - Final Week The Sabre's annual "Hoo Preview" is winding down as August draws to a close. The site has already produced 18 updates over the past two weeks to get you ready for football season. If you're not a subscriber, you don't know what you're missing on the EDGE! Sign up here! This week's portion of the "Hoo Preview" features a look at the defense and columns from Jed Williams and JHoo!
More Blog Banter: Disappearing Redshirts?
Kris Wright, Sabre Editor With 15 days remaining until the Virginia football team kicks off the 2009 season, some of the position battles on the depth chart are starting to sort themselves out. No quarterback isn't one of them - at least not one of them that Al Groh gave any hints on. After a scrimmage on Saturday, however, the coaching staff will spend the majority of the day Sunday working out evaulations of the various positions on the team in order to prepare for the final two weeks of preseason practice. That doesn't mean there'll be some big announcement next week about "starters" and such, but the team is starting to take shape in preparation for the opener. For example, some of the spots on the special teams units are becoming more clear with final auditions coming in this Saturday's scrimmage. "After Thursday's big special teams practice, a lot of positions have come to solidify themselves. We'll have quite a few more plays tomorrow [at Saturday's scrimmage practice] and that will be the final determinant," Groh said. "We're doing some things specifically to have a final audition, the final competition for some of those spots." Also of note in terms of depth chart discussion: several true freshmen are likely to be on the list at various positions and will likely see time this season. Groh didn't provide any clues as to who those players may be, but the top two candidates figure to be Will Hill (defensive end) and Tim Smith (receiver) due to the depth needed at those spots. Other candidates could be athletes and speed merchants like Perry Jones, Corey Lillard, LoVante Battle, Quintin Hunter, Laroy Reynolds, and Javanti Sparrow due the potential value they could bring to special teams units. "There's a pretty good-sized list that I would anticipate are going to help us this year, at least at this stage with two weeks to go," Groh said. "They're showing they certainly could solidly put themselves in the mix."
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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...
For more Hoo news or to read full releases, check out Virginiasports.com.
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UVa Bookstores - The Place for Wahoo Gear! | |||||
Bookstore Exclusive: UVa Tackle Buddy Inflatable Punching Bag Just inflate the UVa Tackle Buddy and the action begins. He brings out the kid in everyone. The sand weighted bottom lets you give him a punch or crushing tackle and he'll bounce right back up for another lick. This is perfect for your future UVa linebacker!
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SabreMail History | |||||
Issue No. 312 - Oct. 8, 2007 Tennis Duo Wins Title In the spring, the Virginia men's tennis team had quite a list of accomplishments. The Cavs became the first ACC team to advance to the Final Four and Somdev Devvarman became the first player in school and conference history to win the individual NCAA Championship. The program isn't showing any signs of slowing down this fall. Devvarman and Treat Huey teamed up to win the doubles title at the ITA All-American Championships this past weekend on the campus of the University of Tulsa. They are the first ACC duo to win the doubles title at the prestigious tournament. Huey and Devvarman, the preseason No. 1 team in the ITA doubles rankings, took down 20th-ranked Jonas Berg and Erling Tveit of Mississippi in the final, 6-2, 7-5. "They have played together for a long time and deserve to have this level of success," coach Brian Boland said in news release. "We are proud of their success and we look to them to continue to develop and be tremendous leaders for our team as the season progresses."
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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:
In Case You Missed It ... Sabre articles since the last SabreMail
Hoo Preview '09: Q&A - Nathan Rathjen
Swanson's Club Set To Start Season
Hoo Preview '09: Recruiting Impact
Hoo Preview '09: Roundtable II
Hoo Preview '09: Mack Joins Fray
Hoo Preview '09: Running Backs
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Sabre Edge | |||||
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! |
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