Thoughts On Dex's Day

The Virginia football team ripped off a 47-7 victory on Saturday against Indiana, providing the perfect celebration present for defensive backs coach Anthony Poindexter. UVa retired Poindexter's No. 3 jersey in a pre-game ceremony. JHoo's "10 Things" postgame colum is set to appear later today, but here's a sneak peak with some thoughts on Poindexter.

9. My Dex Thoughts. To me, as big as the game was this weekend, the opportunity to remember and honor Anthony Poindexter's contributions to the UVa program was just as important. So of course, I cannot pass on the opportunity to add my two cents.

I am not sure if you have ever had this feeling but every once in a while, I feel like a phony and it almost always is because I meet someone so nice and so genuine that I just do not feel like I can possibly be as genuine and nice as they are. Dex makes me feel that way all the time.

As someone mentioned to me earlier in the week, it is hard to be around Dex and not walk away inspired. People just are not supposed to be that positive. After a young man with a bright and long future in the NFL ahead of him gets hurt and sees that dream slip away, he is supposed to be angry, upset, maybe even a little bitter. But if Dex was any of those things, I certainly did not hear it from him. I kept hearing about how thankful he was for the opportunities he had been given and how much he looked forward to what was in store for him next.

So now what is next is coaching, and Dex has gone from being a nice story as a player-comes-home to a coach that is incredibly valuable to this staff. I am not going to claim that Dex is the greatest X and O coach I have met but he has a great feel for the game, something he displayed as a player and still has the ability to communicate to his players today. Dex is not going to suffer laziness but he will find the positives where they exist, and he will make sure his players know that he believes in them. That in turn causes players to believe in themselves and I will tell you this: Dex's players will run through whatever wall he points them toward. To a man, I think Dex's players know that he cares about them and if they need him to run through a wall for them, he will. That kind of relationship leads to results on the field.

On Saturday, Dex's jersey was retired. Somehow, that does not seem like enough but honestly, I am not sure what would have seemed like enough. Simply because of the person he is, Dex is everything we want to see reflected in this program.

For anyone who missed it, there was a long thread last week on the football board with Dex memories, thank yous, and congratulations. Here it is: The official THANKS DEX thread.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Morgan Moses ...

One of Virginia's best - and certainly Virginia's biggest - 2009 class recruits was in attendance on Saturday for the Cavaliers big win over Indiana. 6-7, 330-pound offensive tackle Morgan Moses, a former Meadowbrook Monarchs (Richmond, VA) star, was in Charlottesville to see his future team in action.

After signing with Virginia in February, Moses fell short of qualifying academically and enrolled at Fork Union Military Academy. We'll check in with FUMA postgraduate head coach John Shuman for the latest on the prized recruit, who is hoping to enroll at Virginia in January.

In August, Coach Shuman told TheSabre.com that he was optimistic he could get Moses to UVa in January, but we'll check in to see if that remains the case. We'll also check with Coach Shuman on Cody Wallace, who also signed with Virginia in February. Wallace, an interior offensive lineman, actually enrolled at UVa during the summer only to withdraw and enroll at Fork Union.

TheSabre.com hopes to have more on both prospects this week.

Parks continues to roll ...

Virginia's first commitment of the 2010 class, West Rowan (Mount Ulla, N.C.) running back Kevin "KP" Parks Jr., keeps on rolling. The 5-7, 190-pound workhorse rushed 24 times for 356 yards and two touchdowns last Friday night, leading the Falcons to a 69-14 win over Carson. The reigning Class 3-A State Champions move to 8-0 on the season.

Cornerback recruit Rijo Walker had a big game offensively on Saturday, racking up 10 receptions for 140 yards. It was not enough, however, as Bethel (4-2) lost big to Woodside 67-35.

A couple of WCAC powers clashed last Friday night, when DeMatha Catholic took on Good Counsel. DeMatha, which features Virginia defensive back recruit Kyrrel Latimer, defeated Good Counsel 24-21. Good Counsel features wide receiver E.J. Scott, who has also committed to UVa.

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 ...

Checking in with Top Recruit Rijo Walker
Since a 16-14 loss to Kecoughtan in its season opener, the Bethel Bruins (Hampton, VA) have reeled off four straight wins. Its defense, led by University of Virginia cornerback recruit Rijo Walker, has surrendered only seven points since opening week. Walker, a 5-10, 175-pound senior, credits the total team work ethic as a big reason for the 4-1 start.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• 2011 Class: Checking in on Dinwiddie's Top Trio
• 2011 Class: Thourogood Guides Ocean Lakes
• Cobb Talks Don Bosco, UVa
• Akil Mitchell Excited About UVa Opportunity

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WCAV Goes One On One With Coach Bennett

Last week, WCAV's Marc Davis sat down with Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett for a one-on-one conversation about the upcoming season. As always, the video is available for free on The Sabre thanks to our exclusive partnership with WCAV! Make sure to keep up with WCAV's video!

Hoos Talking Archives

"Hoos Talking", a sports radio program and Sabre partner on Richmond radio, is heating up the airwaves on Wednesday nights. Jim Hobgood, the former men's basketball analyst for the Virginia Radio Network, and Frank Maloney, former President of the Richmond Chapter of the UVa Alumni Association and current President of the Bill Dudley Scholarship Foundation, will host the new show that is focused on Virginia athletics.

"Hoos Talking" airs on Sports Radio 910 in Richmond on Wednesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. throughout football and basketball season. Phone calls during "Hoos Talking" are always welcome at (804)-345-0910. You can always email the show at [email protected].

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• No. 3 Virginia Beats No. 4 Wake Forest in OT Thriller: Sophomore Michelle Vittese scored the game-winning goal on a penalty stroke in overtime to give the third-ranked Virginia field hockey team (13-1) a 3-2 win over No. 4 Wake Forest (8-4). The win over the Demon Deacons was the first for Virginia since 1998, as Wake had claimed the previous 14 meetings between the two teams.
• Cavaliers Finish Eighth at Tar Heel Invitational: The No. 17 Virginia women's golf team finished eighth in the 18-team Tar Heel Invitational that concluded Sunday. The Cavaliers finished the three-day event at 20-over 884, including a final round of 12-over 300. Michigan State took the team title at 4-under 860. A pair of freshmen led Virginia at the tournament. Brittany Altomare and Nicole Agnello tied for 31st overall at 6-over 222.
• Women's Soccer Suffers OT Loss at No. 6 Boston College: The Virginia women's soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss to No. 6 Boston College Sunday afternoon at the Newton Soccer Field. With the loss, Virginia falls to 6-4-3 overall (1-3-1 ACC), while the Eagles improve to 11-2-0 overall (3-2-0 ACC). "I am disappointed with the result, but it is hard to fault the performance," said UVa coach Steve Swanson. "We did enough good things to win the game and overall I thought we played well. We just didn't make good decisions in the attacking third and couldn't set up the quality scoring chances we could convert."
• Hardenbergh and Vierra win Doubles Title at Kentucky: The Virginia women's tennis team concluded play Sunday at the Kentucky Invitational. The Cavaliers took the Flight A doubles title at the event, as Lindsey Hardenbergh and Erin Vierra won Sunday's final. It was the second flight championship of the fall for the Cavalier duo, who won the Flight B doubles title at the UVa Fall Invitational last month.
• Cavaliers Fall to Tar Heels, Sweep Wolfpack: The Virginia volleyball team dropped its first Atlantic Coast Conference match at home on Sunday afternoon, falling to North Carolina, 0-3 (25-22, 25-22, 25-18), in Memorial Gymnasium. Sophomore Simone Asque led the attack with nine kills, while freshman Jessica O'Shoney landed eight. Senior Lauren Dickson led the defense with 16 digs and AJ Cushman chipped in 12. Earlier in the weekend, the Cavaliers knocked off N.C. State in three sets. Asque paced the attack, landing 13 kills.
• Baseball to Hold Celebration of 2009 Team, Ring Ceremony Oct. 16: Virginia will hold a celebration of the 2009 UVa baseball team at 6 p.m. Oct. 16 at Davenport Field prior to the start of Game 6 of the Orange and Blue World Series. Virginia will conduct its College World Series and ACC Championship ring ceremony at that time. There will be a video presentation featuring highlights of the 2009 team's historic season as part of the celebration. Admission for the evening is free of charge. Free hot dogs and Pepsi will be available for the first 2,000 fans in attendance.
• Virginia Drops Hard-Fought Meet to Florida in Season Opener: The Virginia men's and women's swimming and diving teams opened the 2009-10 season Friday with hard-fought losses to Florida at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. The Gator men defeated UVa 159-141 while the Florida women won 166.5-131.5. Senior John Azar and junior Matt McLean paced the Cavalier men while newcomer Christine Olson led the women. All three were double event winners.

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

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Issue No. 108 - October 10, 2003

VMDO Architects receives awards for design of UVa's baseball stadium
Official Release

The Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects (VSAIA) has bestowed VMDO Architects of Charlottesville, VA (116 2nd St.) with an Honor Award this year for their well-received design of the University of Virginia's Davenport Baseball Stadium. The Central Virginia Chapter of the VSAIA has also acknowledged the local firm with a Merit Award for the Cavaliers new baseball facilities.

"We feel proud that our colleagues have chosen to recognize the quality of our work on the baseball stadium project," says lead VMDO architect Joe Celentano. "It is especially satisfying given the extremely compressed design and construction schedule and could not have been accomplished without a completely integrated team effort between the owner, architect, and contractor."

Davenport Field, now considered to be one of the best places to watch and play baseball in the Atlantic Coast Conference, was funded in part from $2 million in gifts from anonymous donors, which enabled the University of Virginia to move ahead with the baseball field's renovation and expansion.

VMDO's design included such amenities as a canopied grandstand with 1,600 seats to replace the existing metal-seat bleachers, and six skyboxes for lease by fans and corporate sponsors. New stadium lighting was also installed, as well as an on-site locker room and clubhouse, a press box, concession area, and a grass-filled seating area.

VMDO Architects was founded in 1976 and is the 2003 recipient of the T. David Fitz-Gibbon "Architecture Firm of the Year" Award from the Virginia Society of American Institute of Architects.

For further information about VMDO Architects, please check out www.vmdo.com.

Check Out SabreMail #108.

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:

• Postgame Coverage: The Sabre continues to break down the Indiana victory with postgame articles from JHoo and Greg Waters.
• Basketball Media Day: The official start of basketball practice is just a few days away. The Sabre will get you tuned up for the upcoming season.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

'Good Twin' Returns For Virginia
There's a simple explanation for this. Virginia has an evil twin. Right? It's happened to Bart Simpson, Bender, and KITT from Knight Rider. Shoot, it even happened to Superman! How else can you explain the Cavaliers' transformation over the last month? From losing 26-14 and 30-10 with fans booing heavily to rolling 47-7 over Indiana with fans cheering heartily, UVa has pulled the same season switcheroo yet again.

UVa Dominates In Win Vs. Indiana
In looking ahead to Virginia's Homecoming game against Indiana four weeks ago, a team imploding for a 40-point loss was not an entirely unforeseen outcome. The victim of such a demolition, however, was quite unexpected. The offense picked up 536 yards - nearly half of its production from the previous four games combined - and the defense pitched a shut out for all but 8:08 of regulation, as the Cavs steamrolled Indiana for a 47-7 victory. It was the perfect end to the day for assistant coach Anthony Poindexter, whose jersey was retired in a pre-game ceremony.

Priorities, Picks, & Power Players - Indiana
For each game this season, The Sabre will present a final peek at the week's match-up with a new feature called Priorities, Picks, and Power Players. In the "Priorities" section, we take a look at the keys to a Virginia victory. In the "Picks" section, Sabre Editor Kris Wright and another Sabre representative make a case for who will win and give you a final score. In the "Power Players" section, The Sabre predicts who some of the key players could be for that Saturday's showdown. Take a look at Indiana!

Game Preview 2009 - Indiana
The last time the Virginia football team played in Scott Stadium, the Cavaliers fell 30-14 to nationally ranked TCU. Only 48,336 fans attended that lopsided loss, the lowest number at UVa home game in 10 years. Regardless of how many people show up this weekend, the fans should be in a good mood prior to kickoff Saturday. After all, the Cavaliers are retiring the No. 3 jersey of Anthony Poindexter, former Virginia safety and current assistant football coach, in a special pre-game ceremony (approximately 3:13 p.m.). From there, it's the Hoos vs. the Hoosiers. Take a look at the match-up in The Sabre's preview.

Lucky No. 13 - Minnifield Making Impact
A Lexington, KY, native like Chase Minnifield might not know much about a school like Virginia. Premier football players in Kentucky often tend to stay in Kentucky. They become Kentucky Wildcats or Louisville Cardinals. So when one of his high school coaches brought down a tape of Virginia football, Minnifield didn't know much about it. When he subsequently talked to a man by the name of Al Groh, he didn't know much about him, either. And that might have been all that Minnifield ever knew of Virginia, if it hadn't been for one very important connection.

Sanchez Excited About Cavaliers, Coaching
Ron Sanchez loves his job. Loves the teaching. Loves the relationships. Loves the game. It's no wonder that one of Virginia's newest men's basketball assistant coaches can't wait for the season to officially start. After all, coaching, he says, is something - make that the only thing - he's always wanted to do.

Greg's Stock Report '09: UNC
In The Sabre's weekly Priorities, Picks & Power Players piece, I said "Look for a major improvement in the Virginia running game this week, which should lead to some better ball control numbers, a fresher fourth quarter defense and a better showing against the run. I see an upset coming in Chapel Hill." The Cavalier offense did exactly that and, coupled with a strong defensive performance, Virginia was able to secure its first win of the season and make me look really smart.

JHoo's 10 Things I Learned From UNC
A win is a win is a win is a win ... and for those who no longer recognize what one looks like, this week's game against UNC resulted in a win. Not a terribly pretty win, I grant you. Not a win without issues, true. Not a dominating win, I agree. Not a win that will register on the national scene, we all accept. But a win. A much needed win. A stop-the-bleeding-before-you-return-home win. A 1-0 in the conference win. And most importantly, a win ... period. Finally. And that sure makes it a lot more fun to break things down.

Press Conference Notes '09: Indiana
Just about the only connection that Virginia has to Indiana, though, is that a former head coach of the Indiana football team is the grandfather of a Cavalier volleyball player. The Hoos meet the Hoosiers for the first time this Saturday for Homecoming in Charlottesville where the Cavs will emerge from the Scott Stadium tunnel coming off a win for the first time since Oct. 18, 2008. For Groh and the coaching staff, preparing for a Big Ten squad - even if Indiana isn't one of the conference's big ticket teams - will require quite a bit more homework than an ACC opponent.

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