Evans' Status Still Uncertain

Virginia senior point guard Jontel Evans sat out the men's basketball team's final non-conference game with Wofford on Sunday. Evans has not played since starting in a 46-38 win against Tennessee on Dec. 5. He has played in just 4 games this season for a total of 60 minutes after needing foot surgery in October. During the game with the Volunteers, Evans reportedly "tweaked" the injury and the UVa medical and coaching staffs have been cautious with his rehabilitation since that outing.

Reporters asked coach Tony Bennett about Evans' status for the conference opener with North Carolina this week (Sunday, Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. on ESPNU) after the win against Wofford. Bennett said that it was too early to determine if Evans would be available against the Tar Heels and that continued evaluations of the injury's symptoms ultimately would determine when he may be available. Bennett said that no internal discussions have occurred at this time about the possibility of a medical hardship waiver for Evans.

Here is a link to The Daily Progress about the situation as well.

This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

Happy Holidays Hoo Fans!

TheSabre.com was on hand for Saturday's Chesapeake Bowl, a postseason all-star game pitting the South (standout players from DC, Maryland, and Virginia) versus the North (standout players from Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania).

UVa-bound tailback Taquan "Smoke" Mizzell capped off the South's opening drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. The North answered with a tying touchdown before a field goal put the South squad ahead again 10-7. After that, however, it was all North squad, which ended up with a 38-13 win.

Following the contest, I caught up with Potomac (Dumfries, VA) defensive tackle Donta Wilkins and West Catholic (Philadelphia, PA) offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith for the latest on their recruitments. Entering last week, Wilkins maintained that he was a Virginia commit but was openly talking about visiting other schools. The 2012 Northwest Region Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, Wilkins is certainly a big recruit for the Cavaliers.

Jones-Smith, a massive prospect at 6'7", 300 pounds, is one of Virginia's top remaining targets. Get the latest on these prospects and more in the latest "Sabre Scoop" article, which is already up on the site and linked below.

This week, Virginia fans can watch two future Hoos in action. Gilman (Baltimore, MD) linebacker recruit Micah Kiser will play in the 2013 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl, which takes place on Friday, Jan. 4, at 3 p.m. ET. This game will be televised on the NFL Network. On Saturday, Wahoo fans should tune in to NBC at 1 p.m. to watch the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The aforementioned Mizzell will be suiting up in that event.

Also this week ...

• I'll be finishing up my Postseason Top 40 with an eye toward releasing it early next week.
• I'll have the latest on Georgia tight end prospect Chris Laye. Laye, a junior, performed well at a UVa camp last summer and subsequently earned an offer from the staff. He participated in the Georgia Rising Seniors all-star game this past week.

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 ...

Catching Up With BJ Stith
It has been over 15 months since he verbally committed to the University of Virginia, but BJ Stith still has close to two more years before he steps on the basketball court as a Cavalier. Excitement at the prospect of following in his father Bryant's footsteps and donning the orange and blue remains evident in the younger Stith.

Sabre Scoop: Chesapeake Bowl Notes
The 2012 Chesapeake Bowl took place this past Saturday, and the North (players from DE, NJ, and PA) came away with an impressive 38-13 win over the South (players from DC, MD, and VA). Future Wahoos Kirk Garner, Taquan Mizzell, and Donta Wilkins suited up for the South squad, while offensive line target Jaryd Jones-Smith played for the North. In this latest Sabre Scoop, get the latest recruiting updates on Wilkins and Jones-Smith and more from this past weekend's event.

Levrone Talks Health, UVa
2012 was supposed to be Andre Levrone's breakout season. It turned out to be one of frustration for the 6'2" senior wide receiver. The Good Counsel (Olney, MD) product was disappointed on an individual level - certainly not with his team, which captured the WCAC Championship - but disappointment is turning to excitement as he eyes his freshman year at the University of Virginia.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Sabre Scoop: Valles Solid To UVa
• Cook Schedules Two Official Visits
• Cavs Grab OL Commitment

Thank You To Our Sponsors

Sponsorships are a critical component of your fan community and their success will permit us to continually improve our services to you. If you are in the market for any of the products and services offered by your sponsors, please give them first chance at your business. Sponsors power TheSabre.com, the No. 1 media source covering UVa Athletics. Thank you for supporting your Sponsors!

Check out the current site sponsors here. If you would like to sponsor the site, please contact us.

See Mike Scott In D.C.

Join the UVaClub of Washington D.C. for a Wizards game as former Cavalier Mike Scott of the Atlanta Hawks returns to the Verizon Center on Saturday, Jan. 12! Through this promotion, you can catch Mike Scott and other NBA Players get ready for the game with special access to the pregame shoot-around starting at 5:15 p.m. through a discounted offer from D.C.'s UVaClub. In order to get this special offer and to be seated with fellow UVa fans, make sure you use the link below and follow the steps. Please note that this offer includes no TicketMaster fees or service charges and that your savings will range from $5-$22 per ticket depending on the seats you choose. Also, a small donation is included in the price of the tickets that goes back to the UVa Alumni Association so a portion of every ticket will help benefit UVa as well!

To take advantage of this deal, follow the steps below; remember you must buy through this link to get discount and early entry to arena!

• Upper Level - $25
• Club Level - $38
• Lower Level Corner - $58
• Lower Level Free Throw Line -$100
• (Prices shown are up to $22 off gate price!)

Please contact [email protected] if you have questions.

White On Wrestling

VirginiaSports.com's Jeff White provided an update recently on the wrestling team that is worth reading. Read the full article here. I provided the introduction paragraphs below. The team is back in action this coming weekend at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn.

With final exams under way at the University, the timing wasn't ideal. But for UVa wrestlers Jon Fausey, Jedd Moore, Mike Salopek and Joe Spisak, their trip to Ohio by van last weekend for the Cleveland State Open proved to be worth the effort involved.

Fausey, Salopek and Spisak each went unbeaten Saturday to win their weight classes, at 174, 197 and 141 pounds, respectively. Moore won seven of eight matches to place third at 157, and he avenged his lone defeat in the tournament with a convincing victory over Kent State standout Ian Miller in the consolation semifinals.

"It really put me in a good place heading into the break," said Steve Garland, Virginia's seventh-year coach.

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 Ted Jeffries and TheSabre.com's Chris Horne.

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 ...

• Aboushi Named to Senior Bowl's Inaugural All-Futures Team: Virginia senior offensive tackle Oday Aboushi was named to the Senior Bowl's inaugural all-futures team. The squad represents the Senior Bowl's All-America team and is based on college career and NFL potential. Six of the 24-member team hail from the ACC.
• Virginia Claims Cavalier Classic Championship: The Virginia women's basketball team won the team title at the Cavalier Classic presented by Holiday Inn University Area with a 54-45 victory over Xavier. The Cavaliers' Telia McCall was named the MVP of the Tournament.
• 2013 Step Up to the Plate Event Scheduled for Feb. 1: The Virginia Baseball program will honor one of its own, three-time World Champion Javier Lopez of the San Francisco Giants, as part of the 11th annual Step Up to the Plate fundraiser, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 1, at 6:30 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena. ESPN Baseball Analyst Tim Kurkjian will serve as the special host for the event.
• Miller, Doniak and Swanson Take Top VaSID Soccer Awards: Virginia senior forward Caroline Miller, freshman forward Makenzy Doniak, and head coach Steve Swanson earned top honors as the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) announced the 2012 All-State Women's Soccer Team on Wednesday. Miller was named State Player of the Year, Doniak was the State Freshman of the Year and Swanson received State Coach of the Year honors.

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

2012-2013 UVA Basketball Fan T-Shirt

$12.00

The 2012-2013 UVA Basketball Fan T-shirt is a left chest and full back design T-shirt. The front left chest has the V-Sabre logo imprinted inside Virginia Basketball. The back design proudly boasts "We Didn't Invent Defense, We Perfected It!" Inside the word "Defense" a hand is blocking the shot from the opposing team.

Issue No. 357 - Sept. 1, 2008

Renovations Planned at The Park
Virginia Athletic Media Relations, Official Release

The Virginia Athletics Department has announced plans to enhance and renovate The Park, home of the Cavalier softball team. Construction is under way and the second phase of this project is expected to be completed this fall. The goal of the project is to create a top-level playing field and facility.

"This project is in keeping with the athletics department's goals to provide high quality facilities for our teams," said Executive Associate Director of Athletics Jon Oliver. "The work being done at The Park and in the softball locker room is designed to provide the team with improved facilities in which to prepare for competition and play games."

Upgrades at The Park include a new playing surface consisting of Patriot Bermuda grass. Renovations will also create a new drainage and irrigation system. The dimensions of the field will also be slightly altered and increase to 210-220-210.

Other renovations include new dugouts, bullpens and a second batting cage. Additionally, a new scoreboard and fence will be added. The Virginia softball team will also see its locker room, housed in University Hall, undergo a facelift. The locker room renovation includes new custom lockers and audio-visual capabilities.

"The renovations at The Park are a sign of the administration's strong commitment to Virginia softball," said Eileen Schmidt, head softball coach. "The enhancements that will be complete by the 2009 season will help our student-athletes on a daily basis and improve the spectator experience at the Park."

The first phase of the project was the installation of lights at The Park. This phase was completed prior to the 2008 season.

Read SabreMail No. 357 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:

• FanWatch: The Sabre's FanWatch series is making a comeback in 2013. Stay tuned!
• ACC Slate Ahead: The men's basketball team closes its season with 18 straight ACC games. The Sabre will guide you through the conference season with coverage and analysis.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Wahoos Whip Wofford
In the early moments of Virginia's game with Wofford on Sunday, some of the post-exam issues with turnovers and defensive lapses that appeared against Morgan State and Old Dominion seemed set to haunt the Cavaliers again in their final non-conference game of the season. Over the last 25 minutes, however, those problems mostly vanished and the Hoos dominated both ends of the floor en route to a 74-39 victory.

ODU Outlasts Virginia
It remains to be seen how this year's Virginia men's basketball team will fare in ACC play. If it goes anything like the CAA portion of the schedule, however, it's going to be a long year for the Hoos. On Saturday, UVa dropped its third game of the season and fell to 0-3 against CAA competition as Old Dominion took down the Cavaliers, 63-61, at the Governor's Holiday Hoops Classic in Richmond.

Old Dominion Primer 2012
After a sluggish 75-57 home victory against Morgan State, the Virginia Cavaliers (9-2) head to the Richmond Coliseum on Saturday to square off against Old Dominion (1-10) in the inaugural Governor's Holiday Hoops Classic. Will the Wahoos win their 9th straight game, or will they drop their third game of the season against a CAA opponent? Find out in the Old Dominion Primer.

Hoos Brush Off Bears, Exam Rust
The first game after exams each December at Virginia almost always seems to be a slightly off-kilter affair for the Cavaliers. Wednesday night's match-up with Morgan State proved no different. Despite a fairly comfortable 18-point win, 75-57, UVa spent much of the night trying to find the pre-break rhythm that led to seven straight victories.

Greg's Grades And Trends: 2012 In Review
With the 2012 season thankfully in the history books, it's time to take a look back at what impacted the Virginia football team's play throughout the year and how some of these trends and tendencies impacted the outcome of games. I'll look at how the play of the defensive secondary determined the outcome of half of UVa's games and how why the Hoos always seemed behind on second and third down. Finally, I'll take a look at the best and worst of the 2012 grades.

Get your Wahoo fix. Subscribe to Sabre Edge!

Every week, Sabre Edge provides you with exclusive articles, columns, special features, interviews and recruiting news, including daily recruiting updates. There's even a special message board just for subscribers. And to top it off, you get 10 percent off all of your UVa Bookstores purchases during your subscription.

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 Wahoo, then the Sabre Edge is right for you. Check it out!

• Sabre Edge Info and Sign Up