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   SabreMail - April 2, 2012
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Sampson Receives Naismith Hall Call

UVa Athletics Media Relations Official Release

Former Virginia basketball player Ralph Sampson was among the 12 members of the 2012 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2012, announced Monday in conjunction with the NCAA Final Four. Sampson will be inducted during this year's Enshrinement Ceremonies, held Sept. 6-8 in Springfield.

Sampson is joined in the class by five-time NBA All-Star Reggie Miller, the NBA's all-time winningest coach Don Nelson, two-time Olympic gold medalist Katrina McClain, distinguished basketball official and coordinator Hank Nichols, former college and NBA star Jamaal Wilkes and the first women's professional basketball team, the All American Red Heads. They are in addition to the five directly elected members who were announced in February by distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game of basketball. These direct-elects include Mel Daniels voted in from the American Basketball Association (ABA) Committee, Don Barksdale from the Early African American Pioneers Committee, Lidia Alexeeva from the International Committee, Chet Walker from the Veterans Committee and Phil Knight from the Contributor Direct Election Committee.

Sampson, a 7-4 center, was a three-time National and Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year during his four years (1980-83) in the Virginia program. He was a four-time All-America selection, earned three-consecutive Rupp Trophies and Naismith Awards, and two-consecutive John R. Wooden Awards and Eastman Awards. He was a 2011 inductee into the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

With Sampson in the program, the Cavaliers won the 1980 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Championship and participated in three-consecutive NCAA Tournaments (1981-83), reaching the Final Four in 1981. Virginia compiled an overall record of 112-23 with Sampson on the team and was ranked in the Top 10 by The Associated Press for 49 consecutive weeks.

Sampson scored 2,228 points during his UVa career and also totaled 1,511 rebounds, 899 field goals and 462 blocked shots. He is the Cavaliers' career leader in rebounds, field goals and blocked shots, and ranks fourth on UVa's career scoring list.

Following his four-year collegiate career, Sampson was selected by the Houston Rockets as the NBA's number-one draft choice in 1983 and went on to earn NBA Rookie of the Year honors. He participated in three NBA All-Star games and was MVP of the NBA All-Star Game in 1985.

During his nine-season NBA career, he helped lead Houston to the 1986 NBA Finals and later played for the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Washington Bullets.

Sampson will be the first Virginia player to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He will become the sixth player to be enshrined in Springfield who played collegiately in the ACC, joining Billy Cunningham, Michael Jordan, Bob McAdoo and James Worthy of North Carolina, and David Thompson of NC State.

   Recruiting News

This Week In Recruiting

Virginia men's basketball is in hot pursuit of point guard T.J. McConnell, who had a great visit to UVa last week and reportedly will head to the University of Arizona this Thursday and Friday for a visit. Arizona and Virginia are the two finalists for McConnell, who decided to transfer from Duquesne University after two productive seasons.

A decision shouldn't be too long after the Arizona visit. McConnell is an important target for the Hoos, as he would help fill a big need at point guard. He would not be eligible to play until the 2013 season due to transfer rules, but Jontel Evans will have graduated and Teven Jones is currently the only true point guard projected to be on the 2013 season roster.

Football Recruiting

  • In case you missed it, Thousand Island Secondary School (Brockville, Ontario, Canada) linebacker/tight end prospect Trent Corney is now officially on board with the Hoos. The 6'3", 245-pound senior likely will attend Fork Union this fall before enrolling at Virginia in January of 2013. For more on his commitment, check out the EDGE article from last Friday.
  • I'll have an update on promising linebacker/running back target Tristan Mumford. The Statesville (N.C.) junior has not yet been offered but is receiving high interest from the Virginia coaches. Mumford has offers from ECU, NC State, Purdue and Wake Forest. When might UVa come through? Be sure to check out the article for the latest. Perhaps Statesville's most versatile player, Mumford, who goes 6'1", 230 pounds, will see action at linebacker, running back, tight end and quarterback this upcoming season. UVa likes him as a linebacker or running back.
  • Also this week, I plan to have the latest on a pair of talented in-state linemen, Liberty (Bealeton, VA) junior DL/OL Wyatt Teller and Chancellor (Fredericksburg, VA) sophomore OL Steven Moss.
  • Virginia will take to the road again for another spring practice, this time heading to Richmond (VA) and Sports Backers Stadium on April 7. This weekend, I'll provide a list of those prospects who showed up to check out the Hoos.


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 since the last SabreMail ...

Corney Talks Decision, Future
Image: Trent CorneySenior Trent Corney has been all but committed to the University of Virginia since scoring a scholarship offer from head coach mike London almost two months ago. The standout athlete, a product of Thousand Island Secondary School in Brockville, Ontario, Canada, has now made it official by verbally committing to the UVa coaches.

Onalaska's Thomas Plans To Visit UVa
For good reason, much of the focus with Virginia men's basketball is on who the staff may be able to add this spring, whether it's through the transfer route or adding a high school senior and/or a junior college player to the 2012 class. This spring and summer will be important on the 2013 class front as well, though, and Onalaska (WI) shooting guard Matt Thomas is one of the Cavaliers' top targets.

Strategy Session: Spring Big Picture Update
Since our last Strategy Session, the University of Virginia football program has seen three players leave the program while also scoring two verbal commitments in the class of 2013. Coach London and company have also tinkered with the roster, moving players to different positions on both sides of the ball. This latest Session examines the latest on the class of 2013 recruiting front as spring football is well underway.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

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   News, Notes, and Fan Discussion

Virginia's Football Schedule

The Virginia football schedule has been released. Make sure to check out The Sabre's schedule page at this link for the 2012 season's opponents. The Sabre updates that page with game time, television information, and gameday pages as information is released on specific contests.


All Access with Virginia Lacrosse

According to Whitey Reid over at The Daily Progress in this blog post, ESPNU is planning to air a documentary about the Virginia men's lacrosse team. The trailer from Jalbert Productions can be found here and is embedded below.


Give The EDGE As a Gift!

Give the Perfect Gift to your favorite Wahoo fan this year, an annual subscription to Sabre EDGE! TheSabre.com is your one-stop shop for all UVa sports information, commentary and discussion. Read articles from our excellent staff of sportswriters, including TheSabre.com's editor-in-chief, Kris Wright. Our resident recruiting expert, Chris Horne, will keep you up to date with recruiting from around the state and beyond. No one covers Virginia's premier sports better than TheSabre.com. Take your fanship to the next level with a Sabre Edge subscription! Scroll to the bottom of the page to see what Sabre EDGE has to offer.

Gift Subscriptions are for a full year and cost $59.99. A gift message can be included and you can request a specific date range for the email notification to the gift recipient. All credit card orders are safe and secured through GoDaddy.com Digital Security. Give the Sabre EDGE as a Gift Today!


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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

  • Cavalier Men's Tennis Defeats NC State 6-1: The fourth-ranked Virginia men's tennis team remained unbeaten in ACC play as it downed No. 33 NC State 6-1 on Sunday at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers (17-1, 7-0 ACC) won their 10th straight match. The win was Virginia's 85th consecutive victory against ACC competition, extending its conference record.
  • Virginia Women's Tennis Wins 6-1 at Wake Forest: The No. 12 Virginia women's tennis team completed a sweep of a two-match weekend road-trip with a 6-1 win Sunday over Wake Forest at the Wake Forest Tennis Center. The Cavaliers improved to 14-4 overall, 5-2 in the ACC.
  • No. 3 Virginia Grabs ACC Road Triumph at No. 9 Maryland, 12-8: Steele Stanwick tied a career high with eight points, pacing the No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers (9-1, 1-0 ACC) to a stellar road victory, 12-8, against the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins (5-3, 1-2 ACC) on Saturday afternoon, inside Byrd Stadium. Stanwick had three goals and five assists, his fifth straight game of the season with at least a trio of helpers.
  • Virginia Seniors Deliver 12-10 Victory Over No. 20 Boston College: The ninth-ranked Virginia women's lacrosse team won its fourth-consecutive game on Saturday (March 31), a 12-10 decision over No. 20 Boston College. After celebrating its five-player senior class of Ainsley Baker, Charlie Finnigan, Julie Gardner, Josie Owen and Annie Taylor prior to the game, Virginia improved to 8-4 overall and 2-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
  • Virginia's Varsity Four Wins Grand Final at San Diego Crew Classic: Virginia's first Varsity Four won the V4 grand final as the top-ranked Cavalier rowing team completed action at the 39th edition of the San Diego Crew Classic Sunday (April 1) in San Diego. The first V4 crew of coxswain Molly Frear, Ruth Retzinger, Kaity McCullough, Elle Murray and Chandler Lally won the grand final in a time of 7:58.12 to win the Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup.
  • Chiariello, Vena Break School Records at UNF Invitational: Senior Vincenzo Chiariello and freshman Nick Vena broke school records for the Virginia men's and women's track and field teams at the North Florida Invitational. Chiariello won the men's hammer throw and broke his own school record with a mark of 61.97m (203' 4"). The senior also won the men's discus throw with a mark of 48.40m (158' 9"). In the shot put circle, Vena set the program mark and earned the win. He broke Yemi Ayeni's 2009 outdoor school record by over three feet and became the first Cavalier to break the 19-meter mark with a distance of 19.07m (62' 6.75"). Later at the meet, senior Lance Roller and redshirt freshman Vanessa Fabrizio swept the 800 meters.
  • Cavaliers Defeat BC 5-1 to Win Series: The Virginia softball team (18-13, 5-4 ACC) defeated Boston College 5-1 Sunday at Shea Field in Chestnut Hill, Mass., to win the series with the Eagles two games to one. Junior shortstop Alex Skinkis was 3 for 4 at the plate with three RBI and junior pitcher Melanie Mitchell finished with 10 strikeouts in the winning effort.
  • Cavaliers Fall 7-6 at No. 9 NC State: The Virginia baseball team scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to rally and take the lead, but ninth-ranked NC State countered with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to post a 7-6 win over the Cavaliers Sunday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park in Raleigh, N.C. With the victory the Wolfpack (19-7, 8-4 ACC) clinched the series, two games to one.

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


   UVa Bookstores - The Place for Wahoo Gear!

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   SabreMail History

Issue No. 366 - Nov. 3, 2008

Back-To-Back!

Official UVa Media Relations News Release

Ryan Foster won the 2008 ACC Men's Cross Country Individual Title to lead the Cavaliers to their second-consecutive team championship Saturday morning at Ranson-Hamrick Cross Country Course at the University of North Carolina. Foster's first-place finish marks the first-ever individual championship for a Cavalier male. The women's team finished tied for fourth.

"Everyone knew today's championship would be hard won," first-year head coach Jason Vigilante said. "I am pleased that our team ran with character and poise, and was able to come away successful. Ryan Foster has been an ACC Champion before on the track and has also had many setbacks during his career; I'm so proud that he was able to capitalize on this opportunity today. He represented our university well. I also need to give a lot of credit to coach Hunt, our trainers Shelley Blakey and Beth Dalton for contributing so much to our great day today."

Ryan Collins finished sixth in 24:36.1 while Andy Biladeau in 24:37.2 for eighth. Emil Heineking was Virginia's fourth finisher, taking ninth in 24:38.2. Graham Tribble rounded out the scoring Cavaliers, finishing 16th in 24:55.8. No. 14 Virginia won its third championship in four years and fourth overall with a total of 40 points. Foster, Collins, Biladeau and Heineking all earned All-ACC honors for their finish.

In the women's 6K race, Stephanie Garcia and Lauretta Dezubay led the squad to a tie with No. 30 Duke for fourth place; Garcia and Dezubay earned All-ACC honors.

Read SabreMail No. 366 here.


   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:

  • Spring Football: The Cavaliers are making final preparations for spring practice and The Sabre will be rolling out football coverage beginning this week.
  • 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

Beyond The Lawn With Stephanie Marie Garcia: Advice to My College Athlete Self
Image: Beyond the Lawn with Stephanie Marie GarciaThe sudden announcement that UVa superstar and NCAA Champion Robby Andrews would be leaving the University and pursuing a professional track and field career this outdoor season got me reflecting back on my own collegiate career - and, let me tell you, life outside the college system isn't ALL roses and fistfuls of cash like it might be made out to be.

Spring Practice Update: Rain Doesn't Slow Down Hoos in Fairfax
Head coach Mike London and the rest of the Cavalier football team braved wind and rain for an open practice in Fairfax, VA on Saturday. A few hundred dedicated fans battled the elements for a glimpse of the future of Virginia football, and were rewarded with an energetic, engaged practice.

Spring Practice Update: Hoos Put on Pads
Image: Coach Mike LondonSpring football is well underway in Charlottesville as the Virginia football team wrapped up day three of practice on Friday morning. The Cavs were in shoulder pads for the first time. With the shoulder pads came more physical drills. The spring has the same rules as the fall regarding full pads. Tomorrow's practice at Fairfax High School will be the fourth practice of the spring, and the Hoos will be in full pads.

Spring Practice Report: London Wants Better Special Teams
Image: Coach Mike LondonLast November in my post-game grade report following the Virginia Tech loss I wrote, "Throughout the season I have focused on different aspects of special teams in the "Needs Work" segment. Saturday the season-long inconsistency and, candidly, poor play was on display across all five phases of special teams. In fairness, all three operations delivered sub-par performances against the Hokies, but special teams consistently has underperformed all year."

Spring Practice Report: New Faces at Several Positions
The Cavaliers continued spring camp with a focus on skill and mechanical development Wednesday morning. The Hoos will be in helmets only until Friday when they move into practice in shoulder pads, so most of Wednesday was built around improving fundamentals and building stamina.

Hoos Return To Spring Practice
Virginia football 2012 is officially underway with the first open practice of the spring. The Cavaliers hit the field at the McCue Center bright and early on Monday morning at 8 a.m. Head coach, Mike London says that the eight o'clock practices help the team get an early start to the day, and accommodate their class schedules. Read more about that and other spring practice news in this practice notebook.


   Sabre Edge

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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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