Playing For Madison Square Garden

By Kris Wright, Editor, TheSabre.com

When Jason Williford joined the men's basketball coaching staff, many outside observers considered it to be a great move by coach Tony Bennett. As an assistant coach, Williford would be able to relate his experience at UVa to the current Cavaliers. And make no mistake, Williford bleeds orange and blue.

So has Williford talked to this year's players about playing in the NIT? After all, Williford played on the UVa team that won the NIT in 1992.

"He told everybody that he wants to get back to Madison Square Garden," guard Jontel Evans said. "The other day he told us if we make it we all gotta shave our heads like they did when they went. I don't know about that because I'm not shaving my head. (laughs) ... He's really excited to get back there and so are the players that haven't been there, including myself. I'm really excited to get there. We just have to take care of business one more time."

This year's Cavaliers need to win one more game before Williford or anyone else can pack their bags. Virginia hosts Iowa on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the NIT Quarterfinals. The winner of that contest advances to Madison Square Garden during the first week in April (Semifinals on Tuesday 4/2, Championship on Thursday 4/4). Remember, the Hoos missed out on a trip to MSG in the Preseason NIT when Delaware handed UVa its only home loss of the season. Since then, the Cavs have rattled off 19 straight wins at the John Paul Jones Arena.

"Everybody knows we messed up our chance in the beginning against Delaware to go to Madison Square, and now guys are just eager and just itching to get that chance back," said Evans, who played just 3 minutes in that Delaware game as he tried to bounce back from offseason surgery. "We've got a lot of energy now and we know we're close to getting back there."

As the only four-year scholarship senior on this team, Evans is trying to lead this team on a meaningful postseason run. So while missing the NCAA Tournament was disappointing, the focus has shifted to making some NIT noise and helping the program continue to build under Bennett.

"It means a lot. We didn't get into the NCAA Tournament, but we're in the NIT and that's still postseason play and we have an opportunity to win the whole thing. That looks good on our resume as well," Evans said. "I"ve been here when this program wasn't nothing. We started from the bottom up and now we're here and we're just going to continue to build."

More information on the NIT game with Iowa can be found in this UVa Athletics Media Relations news release.

This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

The University of Virginia football program scored some big news this past Saturday when 4-star rising senior offensive tackle Steven Moss verbally committed to the Hoos. Moss is UVa's third commitment of the 2014 class, joining 5-star safety Quin Blanding and Florida defensive tackle Chris Nelson.

Both Moss and Blanding were on Grounds on Saturday watching spring practice. Check out reports from both players and other visitor news in the EDGE "Sabre Scoop" recruiting feature posted on Sunday night and linked below.

This week, I'll have more from the 6'5", 290-pound Moss, who will go in-depth as to why he chose the Cavaliers over 20-plus major FBS offers. The Chancellor (Fredericksburg, VA) product discloses which school was neck-and-neck with Virginia, the possibility of early enrollment, and more. I'll also have full articles up on class of 2014 place-kicker Gary Wunderlich and class of 2015 offensive tackle Matthew Burrell.

Wunderlich, a 6'0", 180-pound place-kicker/punter out of Memphis University School (Memphis, TN), also was on Grounds this past Saturday. Virginia has offered and is in great shape following the experience. Wunderlich, who is also considering an offer from Texas A&M, expects to make his decision in April.

The 6'5", 265-pound Burrell teams with Moss to make one of the most formidable tackle tandems in the state of Virginia. Like Moss, Burrell boasts major FBS scholarship offers. Clemson, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest have come through with offers so far, and the list is sure to grow.

I also plan to catch up with other visitors from this past weekend, including coveted Ocean Lakes (Virginia Beach, VA) rising senior Derrick Nnadi. Nnadi, a defensive tackle, boasts offers from Florida State, North Carolina, NC State, Mississippi, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and others. He is a legit 4-star prospect on the defensive line.

On the basketball recruiting front, look for updates on UVa class of 2013 signees Devon Hall and London Perrantes. The future Cavalier point guards played in the Jack Jones Shootout held last week in Memphis (TN). I plan to ask both players about the experience, and I plan to go in-depth with Perrantes on his high school career, his senior season, and his future at UVa. I caught up with Hall for an in-depth feature article earlier this month; it is linked below as well.

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.

More recent Sabre recruiting updates ...

Sabre Scoop: Moss And More
This latest "Sabre Scoop" includes football recruiting info on new rising senior commit Steven Moss, 5-star rising senior commit Quin Blanding, place-kicker target Gary Wunderlich, and more. Who else visisted UVa's spring practice this Saturday? That's in this edition too!

4-Star OL Chooses Virginia
Almost one month since 5-star safety Quin Blanding announced his decision to attend the University of Virginia, the Cavaliers football program has landed another highly acclaimed recruit from the class of 2014. Chancellor (Fredericksburg, VA) rising senior Steven Moss, who has been on grounds since Friday night on an unofficial visit, pledged to Mike London and company Saturday morning.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Devon Hall Turns Attention To UVa
• Clarke Has Become A Coveted Recruit
• Strategy Session 2014: DL and LBs

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Partner CBS19 Features New Video

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Sabre TV: UVa Holds 2013 Pro Day

Miranda Mason brings you highlights and interviews from Virginia's pro day.

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.

Monday night's show features Virginia baseball's David Coleman and Tyler Wilson as well as discussion of UVa's NIT wins to date.

Make sure to check out Hoos Talking on SportsRadio 910 AM (WRNL) or stay tuned to TheSabre.com for archived audio of the broadcasts.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Virginia Women Finish 18th at NCAA Championships: The Virginia women's swimmers finished 18th at the 2013 NCAA Championships on Saturday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind. The Cavaliers finished with 45 points and placed in the top 20 for the sixth consecutive year.
• Moore and Sulzer Finish All-America Seasons at NCAA Championships: Jedd Moore and Nick Sulzer wrapped up their All-America seasons Saturday in the medal round at the 2013 NCAA Championships at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Moore took sixth place at 157 pounds, while Sulzer claimed eighth place at 165 pounds. Virginia earned a top-25 standing for the third time in the last four years.
• No. 11 Virginia Defeats No. 16 NC State to Sweep the Series: The No. 11 Virginia baseball team finished off its first-ever three-game sweep of No. 16 NC State with a 6-3 victory Sunday at Davenport Stadium. It was the first time in the history of the two teams that Virginia (22-2, 7-2 ACC) has swept a three-game series against NC State (16-9, 3-6 ACC). It was also the first time since 2011 that the Wolfpack had been swept by any team in a three-game series. Virginia won both games of Saturday's doubleheader, 8-2 and 4-3.
• Cavaliers Remain Unbeaten With 6-1 Win Over North Carolina: The top-ranked Virginia men's tennis team remained unbeaten on the season with a 6-1 victory over No. 70 North Carolina on Sunday at the Boar's Head Sports Club. The Cavaliers (13-0, 2-0 ACC) extended their winning streak to 95 straight wins over conference foes. UVa opened its conference schedule Friday with a 4-3 victory over No. 8 Duke as well.
• Women's Tennis Completes Weekend Sweep: No. 32 Virginia defeated in-state rival No. 55 Virginia Tech, 6-1, in Atlantic Coast Conference women's tennis action Saturday afternoon at Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers lost the doubles point, but won six straight singles matches to improve to 8-6 overall and 3-0 in the ACC. Virginia extended its winning streak to five matches, sweeping ACC foes Boston College and Virginia Tech by identical 6-1 scores this weekend.
• Virginia Opens Outdoor Track & Field Season at Virginia Cup: The Virginia men's and women's track and field teams began their outdoor season on Saturday by hosting the Virginia Cup at Lannigan Field. The Cavaliers won 10 individual events at the meet, which featured four men's teams and five women's teams.
• No. 10 Johns Hopkins Tops No. 14 Virginia in Face-Off Classic: No. 10 Johns Hopkins (6-2) scored nine goals in a row to pace the Blue Jays' 15-8 triumph over the No. 14 Virginia Cavaliers (5-4) on Saturday afternoon, inside M&T Bank Stadium. Not only did the Blue Jays win the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic, but also won the quest for the Doyle Smith Cup for the third year in a row. Virginia won the first 5 meetings since the institution of the cup in 2006.
• No. 9 Virginia Falls to No. 6 Duke, 13-7: The No. 9 Virginia women's lacrosse team fell 13-7 to No. 6 Duke, snapping a Cavalier three-game win streak. Virginia trailed by a goal, 6-5, at halftime, but was outscored 7-2 in the final 30 minutes. Duke took 18 shots to Virginia's nine in the second half.

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

Virginia Baseball V-Sabre T-Shirt

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Issue No. 102 - August 29, 2003

Baseball hires head assistant
Official UVa Media Relations Report

University of Virginia head baseball coach Brian O'Connor has announced another key addition to his coaching staff. O'Connor named Kevin McMullan as his top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. McMullan, a 1990 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), will also serve as UVa's hitting coach and will work extensively with the Cavaliers' infielders and catchers. McMullan is the second assistant coach named to O'Connor staff and joins current assistant coach Karl Kuhn, who was recently named Virginia's pitching coach on July 30th. The addition of McMullan rounds out O'Connor's coaching staff.

Read SabreMail No. 102 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:

• Spring Football: Spring football practice has started. Stay tuned to the site for updates on the Hoos' offseason work.
• NIT Coverage: The men's basketball team is a No. 1 seed in the postseason NIT and The Sabre will cover the entire tournament.

In Case You Missed It

Recent Sabre articles ...

Cavs Catapult Past St. John's
Outside observers often consider the NIT to be a great postseason training ground for teams with young players. If that's true, Virginia's freshmen are making the most of the experience. For the second straight game, the Cavaliers' youngsters set the tone as the team defeated St. John's 68-50 on Sunday. The Hoos have won 19 straight games at the John Paul Jones Arena.

A Dozen Spring Football Thoughts
The Virginia football team opened spring practice this week and a lot has changed since the season ended in November. The task? The program will try to deliver two winning seasons in a three-year span for the first time since the 2005-2007 seasons. The work for that goal, of course, starts with spring practice. Here are a dozen things I'm curious about as the Wahoos get back to practice.

Wahoos Win NIT Opener
A dismal night at the free throw line and too many turnovers made Virginia's first round NIT game with Norfolk State an ugly affair, but the Hoos escaped Tuesday's tilt with a 67-56 victory. Justin Anderson and Akil Mitchell led UVa with 15 points each as that duo took full advantage of NSU's fullcourt press late to help put the game away for the hosts.

Wintry mix? No Problem For Virginia Football
Virginia opened its new, $13 million indoor practice facility just in time for the first day of spring practice on Monday. Ironically, Charlottesville experienced a wintry mix of snow and sleet overnight, and a cold early morning rain at the start of practice. No matter, because Virginia Football now has the appropriately named George Welsh Indoor Practice Facility. This report includes a write up with links to new photos and a 360 degree view of the inside of the facility, along with video comments from Coach London and links to a previous report and construction photo documentary.

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