UVa Moves Into Top 25

The Virginia men's basketball team returned to action after its exam break and picked up an important 67-54 win at Oregon on Sunday. UVa is 9-1 for the first time since 2003-04.

And the pollsters have noticed. Virginia moved into The Associated Press Top 25 on Monday after the victory over the weekend. The Hoos are No. 24 in the AP poll and just outside the top 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The news is creating excitment among the fans over on TheSabre.com's free men's basketball message board - join the conversation!

This Week In Recruiting

Virginia may have limited spots available in the 2012 class, but there has been some significant activity over the course of the past week. As reported on the EDGE, North Hall (Gainesville, GA) senior running back Imani Cross is once again seriously considering the Hoos after de-committing from Tennessee earlier in December. Cross, a big back who stands about 6'1" and weighs 225 pounds, is also considering Nebraska, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin, and possibly others in addition to the Cavaliers.

Cross committed to Tennessee back in February, but he took an unofficial visit to UVa in the spring. The visit went well, but Cross decided then to stick with his original commitment. Primary recruiter Anthony Poindexter flew down to North Hall recently to meet with Cross and his parents, and it looks like the standout prospect will take an official visit to UVa on Jan. 23. Look for the talented back to take most of his official visits before committing.

In other news ...

• Virginia has now reportedly extended an offer to 5'10", 170-pound senior Divante Walker. Walker shined at tailback in his career at Salem (Virginia Beach, VA), though UVa projects him as a cornerback according to Sun Devils head coach Robert Jackson. UVa is Walker's first FBS-level offer. Stay tuned for more on the Beach District standout soon. Should Walker come aboard, he would be the fifth Beach District recruit in Virginia's 2012 class.
• Former Good Counsel (Olney, MD) standout Zach Dancel is transferring from New Mexico after seeing action at safety as a true freshman this season. Virginia and Georgia Tech are two of the schools being considered. TheSabre.com hopes to have more on this situation later this week, so stay tuned.
• On the basketball recruiting front, Virginia has offered St. Bernard (N.J.) junior point guard Jaren Sina. Sina, who previously committed to Alabama before re-opening his recruitment, will make an unofficial visit to Virginia in January according to Adam Zagoria.
• EDGE subscribers can check out a profile on another new 2013 class offer, Paul VI (Fairfax, VA) shooting guard Stanford Robinson. Robinson added UVa to a long list of offers earlier this month.

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 ...

UVa The First To Offer Zack Jones
Last weekend was a great one for Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) junior Zack Jones. On Saturday, the 5'11", 200-pound wide receiver/defensive back/returner helped the Tigers to a 47-21 win over Centreville in the Group AAA, Division 6 state championship game (held in Scott Stadium). Shortly thereafter he learned that he had received his first scholarship offer, from the University of Virginia.

UVa The Latest Offer For Junior Guard
Paul VI (Fairfax, VA) junior Stanford Robinson is a hot commodity among major Division 1 programs. The 6'3", 185-pound two-guard has picked up another ACC scholarship offer, from the University of Virginia, to go along with previous ACC offers from Miami, N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Current Big East and future ACC program Pittsburgh has offered, and so have Big East programs including Marquette, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Villanova.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• UVa Back In The Running For Georgia RB
• Notes From The VHSL Division 3 State Final
• UVa Offers In-State Senior (blog)

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Blog Banter: Scott Off To Strong Start

From TheSabre.com's Good Ol Blog ...

When Mike Scott received a medical hardship waiver to return for this season, much of the discussion focused on the inside presence he would help give the Cavaliers. He hasn't disappointed with a near double-double average on the stat sheets through nine games. While his play in the paint has been solid so far, however, Scott's versatility has become one of the team's strengths to date.

In the Hoos' 8-1 start, Scott has been moving fluidly all around the floor not just around the rim. Yes, he's giving the team post-up options on the blocks down low, but he's also catching the ball in face-up post positions from the short corner and high post. He's doing a better job of defending on-ball screens and with Pack-Line rotations, one reason the Cavs are off to such a good start defensively. Scott has 56 defensive rebounds and 7 steals on the year so far. All of those things have helped Scott post averages of 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds. He's passing the ball well too with 16 assists.

The senior forward also has added an unexpected tool to his kit: the 3-point shot. Entering the year, he had made 10 triples in his entire career so he's not going to let one fly from downtown very often, but he is 3 of 6 on 3-point attempts on the season. So while the long-range shot isn't completely new or a go-to weapon of choice, so far it has been a reliable change of pace option for Scott.

"Mike actually has nice touch. Whether it's been mid-range or 17-footer, I've been comfortable with him taking that as long as it's in rhythm and he's actually worked hard to add some more range, but if it's a good shot in rhythm and he's not coming down trying to shoot it off the dribble ... and if it's a quality look in the flow of the offense, I'll give him an opportunity to shoot that for a shot or two and we'll see," UVa coach Tony Bennett said. "His strength is that he's inside, he's outside, he's moving, back to the basket, facing and so as long as he doesn't fall too in love with [the 3-pointer], he has the freedom certainly to shoot it because he's fairly accurate with it."

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Minnifield's All-America Nod Highlights Phil Steele's Postseason Award List: Virginia senior cornerback Chase Minnifield was named to his third All-America team on Tuesday when Phil Steele's 2011 Postseason All-America team was released. Minnifield was named to the fourth team. The Lexington, Ky., native has also been named to the CBSSports.com (second team) and Yahoo! Sports' (third team) All-America teams. Phil Steele also placed Minnifield and nine other Cavaliers on his postseason All-ACC team.
• Pasztor Named an All-American by the Associated Press: Virginia senior offensive guard Austin Pasztor was named to the Associated Press' All-America team on Wednesday. The worldwide news agency named the Langton, Ontario, native to its second team. The All-America nod is the first of the UVa starting left guard's career.
• Five Cavaliers in Double Figures As UVa Beats Radford, 92-43: Virginia won its fourth consecutive contest and remained undefeated at home this season with a 92-43 victory over Radford at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday. The victory improved Virginia's record to 9-2, the program's best start since beginning the 2008-09 season with a 14-2 record. Junior reserve guard Lexie Gerson matched a career-high with 19 points to lead five Cavaliers in double figures for scoring. Gerson finished the game 6 for 8 from the field, including 4 of 6 from behind the 3-point line, and added four assists and four steals.
• No. 22 Virginia Slays Drexel, 39-3: The No. 22 Virginia wrestling team turned in a dominating performance Sunday as it scored a 39-3 victory at Drexel at the John A. Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia. The Cavaliers won at nine of the 10 weight classes, with six of the wins resulting in bonus points.
• Virginia Releases 2012 Men's Lacrosse Schedule: Virginia men's lacrosse head coach Dom Starsia announced his team's schedule for the 2012 season Friday. UVa, winner of the 2011 NCAA title, boasts a schedule which features seven games against teams that saw postseason action in last year's NCAA Championship, including two teams Virginia defeated on the way to the title. Starsia announces his schedule on the heels of Inside Lacrosse's Face-Off Yearbook ranking UVa No. 1 in its preseason poll.
• Brian Named Soccer America Freshman of the Year: Virginia midfielder Morgan Brian was named the 2011 Soccer America Freshman of the Year as the publication announced its postseason awards on Thursday. She was also named as a second-team Soccer America MVP. Brian becomes the first Cavalier to be named Soccer America Freshman of the Year in the 25-year history of the award.
• Kline Named Preseason First-Team All-American by NCBWA: Virginia junior right-hander Branden Kline has been named a preseason first-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Kline was selected as one of five starting pitchers on the first-team squad.
• Virginia's 4x800 Relay Recognized as Nation's Best in 2011: The Virginia men's track and field 4x800-meter relay was among the nation's best collegiate relays recognized by Accusplit Tuesday morning (Dec. 13) at the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) annual convention. The squad of Brett Johnson, Lance Roller, Anthony Kostelac and Robby Andrews set the pace on April 30 when UVa won the Penn Relays Championship of America for the second straight year in a time of 7:12.15.

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

Holiday Specials At UVA Bookstores!

UVA Bookstores has a number of really cool gifts for the family this holiday season. There are Hoo specific t-shirts like the "Happy Holidays from Hooville" and "Thomas Jefferson stocking cap" designs seen above. There are great gifts for kids too like the University of Virginia V-Sabre Train, by College Team Trains; it can operate on tracks that are compatible with most of the popular push/pull series of children's trains and can also operate independently on most flat surfaces. Check out UVA Boosktores for your holiday gifts!

Issue No. 431 - Feb. 1, 2010

A Fun Thought This Morning

I've been reading UNC coach Roy Williams' book "Hard Work" over the last couple of weeks. This weekend before Virginia's game in Chapel Hill, I read a section that is even more fun this morning. After all, the Hoos just led wire to wire in a dominant 75-60 win over the Heels. Here's the excerpt from the book that's making me smile this morning:

When all of the players are dressed and seated, a manager knocks on the door and I go in. I've seen NBA teams write 40 things up on the board before a game. I'll write down no more than three because that's all I think my players can absorb. I might write, Five guys run both ways as fast as you can or Be strong with the ball, nothing casual or The team that wins the battle of the boards wins the game. Once at Kansas, we had beaten Kansas State eight or nine times in a row in their building and I'd seen a lot of stories about them saying that the streak would end that night, so I wrote, Watch them leave early. It was the only thing I wrote. It was cocky, but it worked. At the end of the game, one of my players, Ricky Calloway, was on the free-throw line and he yelled over to me on the bench, "Coach, they're leeeeeeeaving!" Watching the Cavaliers dismantle the Tar Heels on Sunday in the Dean Dome and seeing all those baby blue fans made me think of that passage this morning. And I can't stop smiling about it.

Go Hoos!

Kris Wright, Editor

Read SabreMail No. 431 here.

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:

• Basketball in action: The Hoos are back from the exam break. The Sabre keeps you in the loop on the hoops team!
• Pro Hoos: TheSabre.com debuted a new series. Beyond The Lawn" is a 12-month series found exclusively on TheSabre.com that follows three Virginia Cavaliers through a year as a professional athlete. Baseball's Tyler Wilson (Baltimore Orioles), track and field's Stephanie Marie Garcia (U.S. Olympic hopeful), and football's Clint Sintim (New York Giants) share their experiences throughout the year.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

UVa Prevails At Oregon
Virginia coach Tony Bennett presented reporters with a simple question during the week: would the Cavaliers' game travel well in the first true road test of the season? The answer after the first contest of a two-game West coast swing proved to be yes. The Hoos, after all, overcame a somewhat sluggish first half to grind out a 67-54 win at Oregon on Sunday. UVa is 9-1 for the first time since 2003-04.

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