Offensive Freedom

Since Tony Bennett was hired in the spring of 2009, one of the popular topics on TheSabre.com message boards has focused on the pace of play. Bennett, as most Hoo fans know at this point, uses the Pack-Line Defense, which forces opponents to grind their way to shots on many possessions while, on the flipside, Bennett prefers an offensive approach that emphasizes patience and low-turnover totals. Many of the message board chatter shifts to the recruiting side of that equation, namely how to convince ACC capable players to come to UVa and play in a 'ball and chain system.' The theory, in other words, is that patient offense equals shackles and why would players want their creativity and ability to be stifled.

After watching an exhibition game and the season-opening win against William & Mary this year, it's clear that the theory of offensive handcuffs is a misguided notion. There is a system in place, but it is clear that players are encouraged to communicate and create within the framwork and not told to supress their talents. As long as you take care of the basketball and make good decisions, Bennett is going to let you play ball. Freshman Joe Harris confirmed as much in a postgame chat after the Roanoke game.

"When you get the ball, he gives you a lot of freedom and options within it. As guards, we've got to create. Especially we want to run a lot of stuff through Mike [Scott] because when we get the ball to Mike good things happen," Harris said. "Coach gives you so much freedom in the offense. We have some sets that we run, but then like when we get in to the motion, if you're coming off [a screen] and you've got a lane open, he wants you attacking the lane and making things happen and playing basketball. It's little things like that he wants you to do."

With that in mind, fans should take a chance to see the Hoos in action this year as players learn how to show off their abilities in Bennett's program.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Monday, EDGE subscribers can read the latest on Kempsville (Virginia Beach, VA) linebacker Travis Hughes, who was in Charlottesville on Saturday.

The 6-1, 215-pound senior will announce his college choice on Dec. 18. The five finalists include Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech. In this most recent article, Hughes will discuss each of the five finalists and what is most attractive about each program.

Hughes made an official visit to UVa the weekend of the Miami game and also took in the UNC game earlier this season.

Bayside (Virginia Beach, VA) cornerback Demetrious Nicholson considered announcing his college choice this Wednesday, but as of late last week he had decided against it. The 5-9. 165-pound senior had a great official visit to Virginia the weekend of the Miami game, but it appears Coach London and company will have to wait with everyone else until after the season for Nicholson's decision.

Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford, Virginia and West Virginia are the reported finalists for Nicholson, who now wants to commit after his season is over. Bayside captured victory in the Division 5, Eastern Region first round, defeating Cox 26-15. Cox features UVa-bound offensive lineman Ross Burbank, who will also be featured on the EDGE this week.

Be sure to check out The Good Ol Blog for more on Virginia's 2011 class and how they performed in last week's games. Also on the blog, I have posted a list of those players we confirmed to be in attendance on Saturday for the Maryland game.

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 ...

Travis Hughes Sets Decision Date
Kempsville (Virginia Beach, VA) linebacker Travis Hughes has settled on Dec. 18 as the date when he will announce his college choice. A few visits, including one more official visit, remain before that time comes. Does the 6-1, 215-pound senior have an idea right now of which school he will choose?

Notes: Atkins, Jesperson Excited To Be Hoos
After inking six players in the 2010 class, the University of Virginia has signed three prospects this Early Signing Period of the 2011 class. Landon School (Baltimore, MD) power forward Darion Atkins and Merrill (WI) wing forward Paul Jesperson signed on Wednesday, while Greater Atlanta Christian (Atlanta, GA) guard Malcolm Brogdon followed through on Thursday. TheSabre.com caught up with Atkins and Jesperson, and ESPN's Dave Telep gives his thoughts on the class in this "Notes" piece.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Nicholson Will Decide After The Season
• Nigel Williams Is One To Watch In 2012
• Brogdon Ready To Make It Official
• Confirmed Visitors: The Maryland Game (blog)
• Week In Review: Playoff Time For UVa Commits (blog)

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Cavaliers Down South Carolina 3-0 to Reach NCAA Round of 16: The Virginia women's soccer team advanced to the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season with a 3-0 second round win over South Carolina at Klöckner Stadium on Sunday. The Cavaliers (15-4-2) will host Ohio State in the round of 16 next Saturday, Nov. 20.
• Virginia Beats Princeton 4-2 to Advance to NCAA Semifinals: The third-ranked Virginia field hockey team (18-3) beat sixth-ranked Princeton 4-2 Sunday to advance to the NCAA semifinals for the second consecutive season. Freshman Elly Buckley scored two goals while junior Page Selenski and sophomore Tara Puffenberger also scored in the winning effort. The Cavaliers will face No. 2 North Carolina in the semis.
• Virginia Women Claim NCAA Southeast Region Title; Virginia's Men Earn At-Large Bid: The No. 12 Virginia women's cross country team claimed its second Southeast Region Championship in the past three years Saturday morning at Louisville's E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park. The Cavaliers placed four runners in the top-25, each earning all-region honors, while Virginia edged No. 21 North Carolina for the title, 65-100. The men's team earned an at-large bid after finishing sixth at the NCAA Southeast Regional on Saturday.
• Virginia Nabs More 'B' Cuts in Wins Over VT and Princeton: The Virginia men's and women's swimming and diving teams recorded victories over Virginia Tech and Princeton Saturday at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. Senior Liz Shaw and sophomore Lauren Perdue paced the women to 968 points over two days of competition. The Cavalier men also had a strong showing, sweeping the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle and 1650 freestyle events.
• No. 21 Virginia Wrestling Downs No. 14 Kent State, Edinboro, The Citadel: he No. 21 Virginia wrestling team ran its dual record to 6-0 with a trio of victories Saturday at The Duals at Hershey, held at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pa. Virginia scored an 18-13 win over No. 14 Kent State, marking the highest ranked opponent UVa has ever defeated. Virginia followed that up with a 25-13 win over Edinboro for the Cavaliers' first-ever win over the Fighting Scots. UVa opened the day with a 32-6 triumph over The Citadel.
• Volleyball loses two ACC matches: The Virginia volleyball team saw its comeback fall short Sunday afternoon at Georgia Tech, as the Cavaliers fell, 0-3 (16-25, 23-25, 23-25), to the Yellow Jackets. The Hoos had a tough loss, 1-3 (25-23, 16-25, 27-29, 21-25), at Clemson on Friday night as well. Junior Simone Asque landing her 1,000th career kill.
• Virginia Rowing Concludes Fall Season With Rivanna Romp: The Virginia rowing team concluded the fall portion of its season with the Rivanna Romp on Sunday, competing against crews from Duke, Old Dominion and Pennsylvania on the Rivanna Reservoir. In the Varsity Eight head race, Virginia had the three fastest times of the day. Virginia 'A' finished in first place with a time of 13:22.87, followed by UVa 'C' with a second-place time of 13:55.65 and UVa 'B' with a third-place time of 13:56.60.
• Virginia Defeats Mount St. Mary's, 81-58: The Virginia women's basketball team cruised to a 81-58 win over Mount St. Mary's Sunday (Nov. 14) in its first home game of the 2010-11 season at John Paul Jones Arena. For the second game in a row, it was a Cavalier post player leading the way with a double-double as junior forward Chelsea Shine paced UVa with 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

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

Deal Of The Day

Throughout this week, Monday Nov. 15 through Friday Nov. 19, sponsor UVA Bookstores is holding an online "Deal of the Day" for fans of TheSabre.com and UVA Bookstores' Facebook followers. Monday's deal is the two color Virginia arched T-Shirt, by New Agenda, which has the classic Virginia look everyone needs to have in their closet! Only $8.88!

Make sure you stay tuned to The Sabre for the daily deal throughout this week. Just find the image above on TheSabre.com home page and click for the day's deal!

Issue No. 264 - Oct. 23, 2006

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:

• Maryland + Boston College: The Sabre's postgame coverage for Maryland continues with Greg's Game Report and JHoo's 10 Things. The Sabre also will get you ready for the Boston College contest this weekend.
• More Hoops: The men's basketball team opened with a win and The Sabre is rolling out basketball coverage throughout the season!

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

The Sunday Sampler - Maryland
So, yeah, Mike London and the Cavaliers like a little special teams trickery don't they? For the second straight week and third time this season Virginia scored a touchdown on a special teams fake, this time victimizing Maryland with a fake field goal in the first quarter of Saturday's contest. On the play, Jacob Hodges became the fifth Cavalier to throw a touchdown pass this season as Terence Fells-Danzer took the ball to the end zone.

Sloppy Penalties Doom Hoos
No excuses. That was head coach Mike London's message following the Hoos' 42-23 loss to Maryland to close out the 2010 home slate. Virginia committed 16 penalties for 145 yards and had numerous offensive miscues on Saturday. Silly mistakes and mental errors commanded the game, giving the Terrapins an easy edge and leaving many broken hearts behind in Scott Stadium.

Hoos Must Overcome 'Used To It' Feeling
As I walked to my car from Scott Stadium on Saturday, tailgate music wafted through the cool November air. Battery-powered lanterns lit tables strewn with the remnants of afternoon meals. A few children waved sparklers in the air. Nothing out of the ordinary, not at Virginia, not in any college football town sprinkled across this great nation really. Only on this night, there was an unmistakable feel to the air. One that is going to be tough to shake.

Cracking Zone's Code Led To Win
For the first half of its season-opening contest Friday, the Virginia men's basketball team struggled against William and Mary's preferred match-up zone. The Cavaliers couldn't consistently find the seams in the defense, missed some open shots and committed 6 turnovers in trying to force the action. An improved approach after intermission helped crack the code, however, and the Hoos eventually cruised to the 24-point win.

Hoos, Baron Bomb Visiting Tribe
Four players in double figures. Five players with at least one 3-pointer. 17 assists on 28 field goals. Only 8 turnovers. An opponent below 40% shooting. In the end, the Virginia men's basketball team opened its season in impressive fashion and pulled away from visiting William and Mary in the second half of a 76-52 victory. UVa led by one at intermission before dominating the final 20 minutes.

Understanding Blocker/Mover
The Blocker/Mover offense is what I would consider a "free" motion offense. It is a system with rules and tendencies that allows players to work freely within that framework. No movement within the offense is predetermined except in special situations, movement instead is determined by players reading their defenders. Due to the nature of the Blocker/Mover it is impossible to truly draw out what you will see on any given play, but here is a basic primer for the offense you may see pieces of this season for the Hoos.

Game Preview 2010: Maryland
The seniors of the 2010 Cavalier football team will close out their home careers against the Maryland Terrapins, a team that has seen a remarkable turnaround from their abysmal 2009 record. Last year, the Terps only won two games, causing many to wonder about the future of head coach Ralph Friedgen. Virginia has beaten Maryland for three straight seasons, and the Cavalier seniors are hungry for one last home win.

JHoo's 10 Things I Learned 2010 ... Duke
After last week's game, I warned that Virginia fans should not get ahead of themselves after the Miami win, particularly given that three of the next four games were on the road and UVa arguably had less talent on the field than all four of its remaining opponents. I guess you now can see why I offered that warning. This was a painful day. A day that will be hard for the team - especially the defenders - to leave behind. And now, it is a day we have to break down.

Greg's Game Report: Duke
Last week, I used the word physical to describe the play of the Virginia Cavaliers. The team's play in its 55-48 loss to Duke can also aptly be described with one word as well ... undisciplined. The offense had its share of sloppy plays and coaching, but the defense personified the word undisciplined from tackling to gap control, containment to pass coverage and from hustle to football smarts. If stupid penalties, blown coverage and over pursuit were the focus of practice this week then by all accounts Saturday's outing was a tremendous success. Virginia did things Saturday that losing teams do.

Press Conference Notes 2010: Maryland
The Hoos spent last week riding high after an upset victory over No. 22 Miami. However, this week the team is learning serious lessons in humility and resiliency. After a frustrating 55-48 loss to perennial cellar-dweller Duke, this week will be a crucial test of mental toughness for Mike London's team.

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