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   SabreMail - Dec. 17, 2012
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Need a last minute gift for a loved one who loves the Hoos? 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.

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   Recruiting News

This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

This week in recruiting, I plan to have the latest on a number of recruits, including: Jalyn Holmes, Jaryd Jones-Smith, William Jones, Jonathan McLaughlin, and B.J. Stith.

Holmes is one of the top prospects in the state in the class of 2014. At 6'5", 235 pounds, the Lake Taylor (Norfolk, VA) defensive end/tight end has received 15 verbal offers, including one from the University of Virginia. I'll preview Holmes and some of the other top in-state targets the Hoos are pursuing in this week's Sabre Scoop.

Jones-Smith, Jones, and McLaughlin are all class of 2013 targets of Mike London. All are projected to play on the offensive line on the next level, and the line is definitely a position the staff would like to address with its remaining 2013 scholarships, especially with former commit Brad Henson's de-commitment to North Carolina. Henson, a center/guard recruit out of Monsignor Donovan (Toms River, N.J.), withdrew his pledge to UVa in favor of UNC this past weekend, giving the Hoos only two offensive line recruits in the class (G/C Jack McDonald and OT Sadiq Olanrewaju).

Jones-Smith, a prospect out of Philadelphia (PA), is considering Pittsburg, Virginia, and interest from Big 10 schools. Jones, a 6'7", 300-pound recruit out of Augusta (GA), claims a Virginia offer as well as interest from Harvard and Vanderbilt, while McLaughlin is considering ECU, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. The latter just finished a postgraduate semester at Fork Union. He signed with ECU in the class of 2012 but did not qualify.

As reported in last week's Strategy Session, UVa class of 2012 recruits Tyrell Chavis and Max Valles have de-committed to explore other opportunities. Both players signed with the Hoos in February of 2012 but did not gain admission.

Chavis is still considering UVa, while it appears Valles is more likely to cast his lot elsewhere. Check out more in the Strategy Session.

As for Stith, UVa men's basketball's lone class of 2014 recruit, I hope to check in with him again this week for an early update on his junior season. In the coming weeks, I'll take a closer look at UVa's needs for the class of 2014 and which prospects have been offered so far.


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 ...

Strategy Session: Cavs Targeting Linemen
In this latest "Strategy Session," Fork Union postgrad head coach John Shuman provides the latest on Tyrell Chavis and Max Valles. Also, with its last remaining scholarships, the Mike London and company are looking to address the offensive line. We take a look at those known targets remaining on the board.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

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   News, Notes, and Fan Discussion

Basketball Cheat Sheet

The Virginia men's basketball team returns to action this week after taking a break for exams. TheSabre.com Editor Kris Wright wrote a "Basketball Cheat Sheet" article last week so that Cavalier fans could watch the Hoos armed with knowledge. Here's part of that piece:

Joe Harris is "the man" this year. After running as Robin to Mike Scott's Batman last season, junior Joe Harris has stepped up to a starring role this year. The Cavaliers run many of their offensive sets around the wing skills of Harris, who has delivered at a clip of 14.8 points per game. That's up from 11.3 points per game last season. He has also dished out 2.5 assists per game, up from 1.7 helpers as season ago. With 115 shot attempts, Harris has taken at least 23 more shots than anyone else on the club this year too. That comes out to 11.5 shots per game, another increase from 2011-2012 when he attempted 8.6 shots per outing.

All of that shows that Harris is in the go-to role this season. That came through loud and clear in Virginia's 60-54 win at Wisconsin. During a critical stretch midway through the second half, UVa went through four possessions with Harris as the focal point or decision-maker and all four possessions ended with a basket. First, UVa opted for two different types of sets for Harris. The first came when the Hoos ran Harris through a double screen to get him open on the wing for a 3-point attempt against a defensive switch; he made that trey. The next was a high on-ball screen set with Harris dribbling off the pick set by Evan Nolte. The freshman forward separated from the screen behind the 3-point line and since Harris pulled the defense with him on the dribble, the throw-back pass to Nolte ended up wide open. He nailed the triple just after the 8:00 mark for a 46-40 lead.

Around the 7:00 mark, the Cavaliers ran back-to-back possessions where ball movement and motion placed Harris in the weak-side corner away from the ball. With the ball above the free throw line, Darion Atkins screened away from the ball and toward Harris in the corner, allowing the 6'6" guard to flash off a screen coming toward the ball. On the first, the defenders both slid toward Harris a bit too much and Atkins slipped the screen for an easy catch and dunk from Akil Mitchell. On the second, Harris caught the pass on the wing, used a relocation dribble to create a post entry angle, and fed Atkins for another bucket in the post.

Of note, Harris scored on just one of those four plays designed around him, but it is evident that he is the focal point of all four looks. So yes Virginia, Joe Harris is the man this year.

Read the full EDGE feature here.

There was also a great feature on Joe Harris in The Daily Progress over the weekend. Read that here.


New Football Coach

Multiple outlets reported late last week that the Virginia football program is expected to announce the hire of a new special teams coach. Jeff Banks has worked for the past 10 years at UTEP as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach.

You can read the UTEP bio on Banks here. Read an article about the hire from The Daily Progress here.


Hoos Talking Airs On Monday Nights

Hoos Talking, TheSabre.com's radio partner from Richmond, is back on the air for its fourth season! The show airs on Monday nights LIVE from 6-7 p.m. on SportsRadio 910 AM (WRNL) in Richmond or on the internet for Hoos outside of the Richmond area.

Tonight's show features UVa's Jimmy Miller and Mary Jane Ganey, CEO of Zacharias Ganey Health Institute.

Make sure to check out Hoos Talking on SportsRadio 910 AM (WRNL) or stay tuned to TheSabre.com for archived audio of the broadcasts, presented for FREE by Sabre sponsor St. Maarten Cafe.


Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

  • Virginia Releases 2013 Men's Lacrosse Schedule: Virginia men's lacrosse head coach Dom Starsia announced his team's schedule for the 2013 season. UVa, a 2012 NCAA quarterfinalist, boasts a schedule which features nine home games and contests against five teams that saw postseason action in last year’s NCAA Championship. Starsia announces his schedule on the heels of Inside Lacrosse's Face-Off Yearbook ranking UVa No. 9 in its preseason poll.
  • Virginia Rowing Signs 13 for 2013-14: Virginia rowing head coach Kevin Sauer announced that 13 young women, including two World Junior Championship medalists, have signed national letters of intent to join the 2012 NCAA Champion Cavaliers in the fall of 2013. The class includes Janey Brennan, Erin Briggs, Joanna Gurman, Jalena Hannink, Taylor Leonard, Dylan MacDonald, Lyndsay Martini, Allie Nicholson, Ellen Pate, Grace Plachy, Georgia Ratcliff, Eliza Spilsbury and Ali Zwicker.
  • Selenski, Madison Earn Top VaSID Honors: Virginia redshirt-senior Paige Selenski and head coach Michele Madison earned top honors Tuesday from the Virginia Sports Information Directors, headlining the 2012 University Division Field Hockey Team. Selenski was named State Player of the Year for the third time, while Madison earned her fourth Coach of the Year award. The Cavaliers' Michelle Vittese, Elly Buckley, and Jenny Johnstone also earned first team honors.
  • McLean Anchors United States to Gold at FINA Short Course Worlds: Virginia swimming and diving volunteer assistant coach Matt McLean anchored the United States men’s 4x200m freestyle relay to a gold medal at the 2012 FINA Short Course World Championships on Thursday at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul. The U.S. relay of Ryan Lochte, Connor Dwyer, Michael Klueh and McLean finished in a time of 6:51.40, ahead of Australia (6:52.29) and Germany (6:53.22).

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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The V-Sabre holiday santa hat T-Shirt is a left chest and full back design T-Shirt. This fun holiday item features a santa hat hanging off of the V-Sabre logo. Get yours today! (The UVA Bookstores would like to wish TheSabre.com community a very happy holiday season. We appreciate the support we receive throughout the year and would like to thank you by offering free UPS Ground shipping now through Dec. 15! No minimum purchase is required. Please use the coupon code: sabre2012. Sabre EDGE members, please note that only one code may be used per transaction).


   SabreMail History

Issue No. 496 - May 16, 2011

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Virginia got its big-time middle linebacker last week, when Norfolk Christian (VA) junior Kwontie Moore pledged to the Hoos. The 6-1, 242-pound standout, a member of the Rivals.com preseason Top 250, chose the Cavaliers over offers from Arkansas, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Stanford and Virginia Tech, among others.

This week, I'll take a closer look at Virginia's defensive recruiting over the course of the past two classes, including an overview of some of the top remaining targets in and out of the state. I'll also break down, position by position, the 2012 roster, examining the biggest needs in this class. With Moore in the fold, Virginia now has four commits in the 2012 class. All four project to play on the defensive side of the ball.

Norfolk Christian has four major FBS prospects in its 2012 class. Virginia has gained two of them in Moore and 5-10, 185-pound defensive back Wil Wahee. Virginia Tech is on the board now, though, with 6-5, 210-pound wide receiver/free safety Mario Nixon, who committed to the Hokies over Virginia this weekend.

Defensive lineman Courtnye Wynn is the fourth and final recruit, and currently he is high on both in-state schools. Don't be surprised if the 6-5, 245-pound junior makes a decision soon as well, so stay tuned.

Read SabreMail No. 496 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:

  • Grades and Trends: Greg Waters takes a look back at the 2012 season and a look how the grades and trends could impact the football program's future.
  • Back in action: The men's basketball team returns to action this week and The Sabre will be there to cover the Hoos.


In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles and blog posts since the last SabreMail

Sabre Roundtable: 2012 And Football's Future
Image: Coach Mike LondonAs Virginia student-athletes hit the books for exams, there are no visions of Sugar Bowl fairies or even Music City Bowl dreams dancing in the heads of the football team. No, the Cavaliers missed out on postseason play thanks to a 4-8 campaign. What does the offseason hold for the Hoos? TheSabre.com put together a roundtable to glance back at some of 2012's top storylines as well as take a look ahead to the offseason. The Sabre's Michael Ingalls is joined by The Daily Progress' Andrew Ramspacher as well as a pair of EDGE subscribers to discuss UVa football.

UVa Basketball Cheat Sheet 2012-2013
Image: Joe HarrisThe Virginia men's basketball sailed into the exam break on a seven-game winning streak with an 8-2 record. What's that? You've been holiday shopping and haven't seen many games? Your mind is tied up with football coaching issues? Never fear Cavalier fan, I've got a quick cheat sheet to get you up to speed so you can cheer on the hardwood Hoos after they knock out their exams.

Worth Quoting: Bennett On Keeping Players Happy
During a teleconference with reporters on Tuesday, UVa coach Tony Bennett was asked whether he was worried about keeping players happy in future years with full recruiting classes.


   Sabre Edge

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If you're a Wahoo, then the Sabre Edge is right for you. Check it out!


 
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