No Postseason For The Hoos

When the Virginia men's basketball team did not receive consideration for the NCAA Tournament or the National Invitation Tournament, UVa decided not to seek other postseason opportunities in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) or the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Virginia finished the 2010-11 season with an overall record of 16-15, the first winning season for the program since 2007-08.

According to the official news release, "UVa's athletics administration decided to remove the team from consideration for participation in postseason play if the Cavaliers were not selected for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Virginia head coach Tony Bennett was consulted and agreed with the decision."

So far, the message board reaction to the news has been mixed. If you ask me, I think this is a good decision by Virginia. Outside of the monetary implications of playing in these postseason tournament options (it is believed that teams must pay to be in the tournaments, particularly to host games), the potential benefits are not that enticing. Fans disappointed with the decision have mentioned three main factors for wanting to keep playing:

• More practice. On the surface, this sounds like a good idea. To me, however, there is minimal benefit to extra game preparation practices at this stage of the season for the program; I think some time off before starting focused offseason work is more beneficial than preparing for more games that carry little meaning to an ACC program. For starters, this isn't like a bowl game for a football team that typically locks in weeks of practices. In fact, you're looking at one or two practices at most if your team loses in the first round of the events; the CIT features on game Monday and all first round games are done by Wednesday, while the CBI's opening games are either Tuesday or Wednesday. Both tournaments conclude by March 30, meaning the maximum amount of practices is 10 to 11 or less (16 days minus 5 game days) without taking into account any travel days or NCAA regulations on practices.
• Tournament experience. The CBI and CIT feature home games, not neutral site games. This does not resemble NCAA Tournament play in any way so there is no benefit there. As far as the pressure of win or go home games, there would be some experience gained in that type of situation but it does not reach the same scale as NCAA or NIT games. Plus, let's face it, many of these kids have played in AAU environments where a tournament concludes an event. If UVa wants to put its upcoming players in that type of tournament environment, I'd hope it would seek out opportunities in the preseason NIT in future years, something that would benefit the program much, much more than a random postseason event.
• Erasing the bad finish. Finally, some fans are worried about the lingering impact of Virginia's shocking collapse against Miami in the ACC Tournament - UVa gave up a 10-point lead in less than 45 seconds before losing to the Hurricanes in overtime. I'm going to be blunt here: if players and/or coaches can't learn from that game's finish without playing another game in SEVEN months, we've got much bigger problems on our hands than whether a CBI or CIT game will provide a psychological boost. These are Division I athletes and highly paid coaches. They don't need a random tournament game to deal with the Miami loss. If they do, they're in the wrong business on the wrong stage.

Kris Wright
Editor, TheSabre.com

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Hoops Recruits Enjoying Postseason Success

Make it back-to-back Class AA State Championships for Malcolm Brogdon and Greater Atlanta Christian (Atlanta, GA). The 6-5, 205-pound senior guard scored 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a 40-point blowout over Buford in this past Saturday's championship game.

Brogdon averaged 27 points and 12 rebounds per game this season, and he seems a good bet to repeat as Group AA Player of the Year. TheSabre.com will have more on GAC's state title win this week, so stay tuned.

Paul Jesperson is known for his outside shooting, but this shot in the Division 2 Sectional Semifinal is ridiculous.

The 6-7, 185-pound Jesperson, a wing guard/forward, helped the Merrill (WI) team go on to defeat Antigo in the sectional semis. The Blue Jays then scored a D2 Sectional Final win over Onalaska, securing a spot in the state semifinals for the first time since 1964. Merrill faces Wauanakee this Friday.

Landon School (Bethesda, MD), featuring UVa-bound power forward Darion Atkins, finished the 2010/2011 season with 19 wins and six losses. The 6-8, 210-pound Atkins averaged more than 12 points and just less than 12 rebounds per game, totaling 148 blocks along the way as well.

TheSabre.com was on hand for Landon's season finale against Benedectine, and fans can see exclusive photos of the promising prospect on his recruiting card. The Sabre's Mike Ingalls noted defense, rebounding, and ability to finish as Atkins' strengths.

This past Friday night, a pair of Virginia 2011 football recruits squared off on the basketball court in the Virginia Group AAA State Championship game in Richmond. I.C. Norcom (Portsmouth, VA), featuring Kameron Mack, defeated Anthony Harris-led L.C. Bird to capture its second consecutive state title.

The 6-5, 205-pound Mack projects as a safety or linebacker for Mike London's football program, while Harris, a 6-2, 190-pound recruit, projects as a safety but could play cornerback.

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 ...

In-State Star Updates Recruiting

Onyekaba Emerging On Major D1 Radar

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Cavs Targeting Massachusetts Star Williams
• Tech Joins UVa In Offering Prosise
• 2012 Profile: Christiansburg QB/ATH Brenden Motley

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UVa Football Schedule

Virginia released the 2011 football schedule last week. TheSabre.com set up its football schedule page for fans; remember that each game will have a game information page once the season begins.

Ryan To Step Down

UVa Athletics Media Relations, Official Release

Craig Littlepage, University of Virginia director of athletics, announced Saturday that Debbie Ryan has decided to step down as women's head basketball coach effective at the end of the 2010-11 season.

Ryan, a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, has been the head coach of the Virginia women's basketball team for 34 years, all but four years of the program's existence. She also served as an assistant coach in the program for two years before becoming head coach.

"Throughout her 36 years at the University of Virginia, Debbie Ryan has been the model for dignity, dedication, class and courage," Littlepage said. "No one has a greater love for the University of Virginia and I'm grateful for all of her contributions to our women's basketball program and our department. In addition to her contributions to the game nationally, her impact has been felt on the international basketball scene as well.

"Debbie is a unique treasure to our local community and those of us who have worked directly with her have been tremendously enriched."

Ryan's Virginia teams have compiled an overall record of 736-323, won 20 or more games 23 times and 30 or more twice. The Cavaliers participated in the NCAA Tournament 24 times under her direction and made three consecutive Final Four appearances from 1990-92.

Only eight other active Division I women's basketball coaches have reached the 700-win milestone.

"I am leaving the program in excellent condition as we have great players here and on the way," Ryan said. "Our players are good students and exemplify the standards of excellence that we live by in our department. I am not retiring per se, but I feel we have not lived up to my own standards and expectations this past year and I want to do what is best for our program and the University.

"More than anything I love my players, both past and present, and that is what I will miss the most about leaving. I will see this year's team through the upcoming WNIT if we are fortunate to be selected."

Read the full article.

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• No. 6 Cavaliers Pick Up 7-6 Win to Sweep No. 4 Clemson: The No. 6 Virginia baseball team finished off a three-game sweep of No. 4 Clemson with a 7-6 victory Sunday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C. In winning their 10th straight game this year, the Cavaliers (16-1, 3-0 ACC) recorded their first-ever three-game sweep at Clemson as UVa improved to 17-4 against the Tigers since 2004.
• Briggs Paces No. 2 UVa to Triumph over No. 14 Cornell: Colin Briggs scored three goals to pace No. 2 Virginia (6-1) to an 11-9 triumph over the No. 14 Cornell Big Red (3-2) on Saturday afternoon, in front of 17,057 in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic, inside M&T Bank Stadium. Inside Lacrosse named Briggs the MVP of the game. With the victory, Virginia head coach Dom Starsia owns 322 career wins, needing five more to pass Jack Emmer (326) for the most triumphs while coaching at a NCAA Division I school.
• No. 5 North Carolina Escapes with an 8-7 Victory Over No. 7 Virginia: The No. 7 Virginia women's lacrosse team saw its second-half rally fall short Saturday afternoon at Fetzer Field, as the No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels escaped with an 8-7 victory over the Cavaliers in an Atlantic Coast Conference match-up. With the loss, the Cavaliers fall to 3-3 on the season and 0-2 in the ACC. Junior Charlie Finnigan led the Cavaliers with three goals and one assist, while junior Josie Owen had one goal and two assists.
• Top-Ranked Virginia Downs Baylor 6-1: The top-ranked Virginia men's tennis team continued its road trip with a 6-1 win over No. 28 Baylor Saturday at the Baylor Tennis Center. The Cavaliers rallied from dropping the doubles point with a dominating singles performance to improve to 16-0 this season. The Bears, who suffered just their ninth home loss in the past 10 years, fall to 8-3 this season.
• Cavaliers Find Mixed Results At UVa Spring Break Invitational: The Virginia softball team beat No. 25 Syracuse 2-1 after a 9-1 win over Princeton Saturday to open play in the UVa Invitational. The Hoos were defeated twice on the second day of the UVa Spring Break Invitational, which continued Sunday at The Park. The Cavaliers fell to No. 25 Syracuse 13-8 and Fordham 8-4.
• UVa Earns All-America Honors at NCAA Indoor Championships: Virginia's distance medley relay team of junior Morgane Gay, senior Ayla Smith, senior Lyndsay Harper and redshirt senior Stephanie Garcia earned All-America honors Friday night at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, earning a third-place finish in the DMR at Texas A&M's Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium. Senior Marcus Robinson finished 11th in the triple jump on Saturday with the second-best jump of his career, a leap of 52' 5.75". With his finish, Robinson earns second-team All-America honors.
• Imbriglia, Leinroth Set School Marks on Platform: Junior Briggy Imbriglia and freshman Alex Leinroth each set school records in the platform event as competition concluded Sunday at the NCAA Zone 'A' Diving Meet in Annapolis, Md. Imbriglia was Virginia's top finisher on the weekend after his third-place performance on the platform. He finished with a total score of 694.40, including a mark of 356.80 in finals, which broke his own school record from last year. Leinroth was sixth overall on the platform with a total mark of 464.00. In the team scoring, the Virginia men tied for third place overall while the Cavalier women were ninth.
• UVa Women's Golfers Finish Second at LSU Classic: The seventh-ranked Virginia women's golf team finished second at the 21-team LSU Classic at The University Club in Baton Rouge. Virginia shot 6-over 294 during Sunday's final play for a three-day total of 31-over 895. Arkansas, ranked No. 26, won the tournament at 24-over 888. Sophomores Brittany Altomare and Nicole Agnello led the Cavaliers by tying for 11th at 7-over 223.

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virginia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

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Issue No. 275 - Jan. 15, 2007

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting

UVa received several surprises this past weekend, with the first being the commitment of long snapper/tight end prospect Danny Aiken.

Aiken, a 6-5, 228-pound recruit who is currently at Fork Union Military Academy, was invited for an unofficial visit to the University of Virginia last month (he went the same day as offensive line recruit Anthony Castonzo), but it didn't seem like Aiken was in line for an offer . that is, until last week, when the former Cave Spring (Roanoke, VA) standout received a call from Mike London.

London asked Aiken what would happen if the staff were to extend a scholarship offer. Aiken said he would accept and, a few days later, did. UVa is recruiting Aiken as a long snapper who will have a shot at tight end as well. At Cave Spring, Aiken saw time at the quarterback, defensive end and safety positions. He played tight end and long snapper at Fork Union and impressed Coach London last month with his long-snapping ability.

Check Out SabreMail #275.

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:

• Spring Football: TheSabre.com is the place to be for spring football coverage!
• Ryan's Decision: The Sabre will be on hand for Debbie Ryan's press conference as she discusses her decision to step down as UVa women's basketball coach.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Ryan To Step Down
Debbie Ryan, head coach of the Virginia women's basketball team for the past 34 years, has decided to step down, according to a news release from Virginiasports.com on Saturday morning. Ryan, who served for two years as an assistant coach with the program as well, held the top job for all but four years of the program's existence. She will step down at the end of this season; the Cavaliers are waiting to see if they receive an invite to a postseason tournament.

Inbounding Against Fullcourt Pressure
Plenty of adjectives have been thrown around to describe Virginia's collapse against Miami on Thursday in the ACC Tournament so I won't repeat them here. Let's just leave it at disappointing and move on. I'm more interested in the clinical aspect of the letdown than wallowing in the emotional aftermath anyway. What was supposed to happen, what happened, and what can be learned from it?

Late Letdown Leaves Hoos With Loss
When the Emergency Alert System interrupted the postgame radio broadcast in Charlottesville, Cavalier fans were probably thinking it was far too late for a disaster advisory. After all, the warning was needed approximately 30 minutes before that. That's when the UVa men's basketball team suffered a shocking collapse and squandered a 10-point lead in the final 45 seconds of its ACC Tournament opener with Miami on Thursday. The Hurricanes stunned the Hoos with a 10-0 run in 29 seconds and won the game 69-62 in overtime.

Reasons For Renewed Optimism
The Virginia men's basketball team opens ACC Tournament play on Thursday at noon. The game matches eighth-seeded UVa and ninth-seeded Miami. It's far from a glamorous position and neither team is heading to the NCAA Tournament unless it wins four games in four days. Yet, optimism is palpable among Cavalier fans.

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