Fans Share Thoughts On 2013

As kickoff with BYU rapidly approaches (Saturday, Aug. 31, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU), Virginia fans are sharing their thoughts on the upcoming season. A few posts from TheSabre.com's message boards follow; click here to share your thoughts on the football message board!

Subject: My two cents on 2013
Posted by: wahoosaurus on Sun Aug 18 2013 7:55:29 PM
Message: I believe this year we will be like last year's basketball season in the sense that we will be pleasantly surprised. We should do much better than our embarrassing preseason predictions (1-7 in the ACC?!). Also, much like last years basketball team, we will get plenty of contribution from our first years, particularly Smoke. UVA will have some upsets, some big wins, and might even be in the run for a top-tier bowl game. Ultimately, we won't be able to get the job done late in the year when we face a tough stretch of games but we will, mark my word, play in a bowl game. This season will be an optimistic step towards becoming a top-tier program. Wins (BYU, VMI, Ball State, Maryland, Duke, Virginia Tech) Losses (Oregon, Clemson, UNC, Miami) Toss ups (Pitt, Georgia Tech).

Subject: We have talent ... I'm not quite sure why people think we will be so terrible
Posted by: VailSkis on Sat Aug 17 2013 4:35:37 PM
Message: cfbmatrix statistical analysis predicts us most likely to finish at 5-3 in conference and 8-4 overall. We are significantly more talented than BYU and it is at home. We should win that game.

Subject: The much maligned hotdog 56 says 7-5 and a bowl
Posted by: hoodog56 on Sun Aug 18 2013 4:19:07 PM
Message: This will be a good year.

Subject: Unfortunately, I think [SI] nailed it.
Posted by: RU Hoos on Fri Aug 16 2013 3:46:48 PM
Message: Although, I do think we'll get to four or five wins with a little luck.

This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

Elite Camp

The University of Virginia men's basketball program hosted its Elite Camp this past Saturday. TheSabre.com was on hand for the event, which consisted primarily of rising freshmen, rising sophomores, and rising juniors. Stay tuned for a full report on the Elite Camp this week. Included in the report will be ...

• Comments from class of 2017 point guard Matt Coleman. The Maury (Norfolk, VA) rising freshman toured the Grounds on Friday before participating in the camp on Saturday. The 6'0" Coleman received scholarship offers from Old Dominion and UVa back in the spring, and at this point he seems very high on the Hoos.
• An update on Cape Henry Collegiate (Va. Beach, VA) wing guard/forward Chris Clarke, a rising junior who was hoping to clinch a Virginia offer with a strong camp performance. Prior to the camp, the 6'6" prospect had already received offers from Creighton, Iowa State, Old Dominion, and Virginia Tech.
• A look at L.C. Bird (Chesterfield, VA) rising junior Kenny Williams, a shooting guard with an offer from Virginia Tech and a handful of other schools, as well as my thoughts on other top performers at the camp. I'll let you know which prospects showed well and which ones to keep an eye out for in the coming years.

Also this week on the basketball recruiting front, top class of 2014 target Robert Johnson will take an official visit to Indiana this weekend. No other visits are definitively scheduled, so we'll see if the Hoosiers are able to corral a commitment the Benedictine (Richmond, VA) combo guard. Obviously, Virginia is hoping Johnson holds off and takes an official to Charlottesville this fall.

Football Recruiting

Some prominent recruits were in Charlottesville on Saturday to watch UVa football's scrimmage and post-scrimmage cookout. UVa class of 2014 commits Quin Blanding, Andrew Brown, and Steven Moss were on hand. FUMA-bound recruit Corwin "Turtle" Cutler was there. Class of 2014 wide receiver target Jamil Kamara and two top class of 2015 prospects - Hylton (Woodbridge, VA) offensive tackle Matthew Burrell Jr. and Stonewall Jackson (Manassas, VA) defensive tackle Tim Settle - were on Grounds as well.

This week, I'll catch up with these players and others that were in Charlottesville on Saturday for reaction. Stay tuned for a full report in a "Sabre Scoop" feature.

Also this week, stay tuned for a report from Gonzaga College Prep (Washington, D.C.). Virginia has offered three class of 2015 prospects from this school, including offensive tackle Richie Petitbon.

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 ...

Cutler & Jones Expected At FUMA Soon
While some postgraduate prospects will arrive at Fork Union Military Academy (VA) tomorrow, University of Virginia recruits Corwin "Turtle" Cutler and Zack Jones will not be among them. Cutler and Jones, who signed letters of intent with UVa in February 2013 as high school seniors, are expected to enroll at the prep school later this month according to postgraduate head coach John Shuman.

Sabre Scoop: The Latest On Robert Johnson
Basketball is the primary focus of this latest "Sabre Scoop," which includes the latest on 4-star combo guard Robert Johnson of Benedictine (Richmond, VA), a look at those players expected to visit UVa in September, and more. Also, one of the top remaining uncommitted football players in the state is expected to tour the Grounds tomorrow.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• EDGE Board Notes: Bennett's Elite Camp
• Camp Experience Fueled UVa Recruit

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More Basketball Schedule News

From UVa Athletics Media Relations Official Releases

More information about the Virginia men's basketball schedule came to light last week.

First, it was announced that Virginia will host VCU during ESPN's 24-hour Hoops Marathon on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the John Paul Jones Arena and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

Also, the time for the Cavaliers' game in the 15th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge Presented was announced. Virginia's game against Wisconsin on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at the JPJ is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN or ESPN2. UVa won last year's Challenge meeting with the Badgers, 60-54.

Earlier, it was announced that Virginia will make three appearances on ESPN's ACC Big Monday during the 2013-14 men's basketball season. UVa plays at Duke on Monday, Jan. 13 and hosts North Carolina and Maryland on Monday, Jan. 20 and Monday, Feb. 10, respectively. Tipoff for all three games is set for 7 p.m.

In other schedule news, the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau has announced the pairings for the final two rounds of the inaugural 2013 Corpus Christi Challenge at American Bank Center on Nov. 29-30. Following first and second round games held at the JPJ, Virginia plays SMU in the third round of the challenge in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Friday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. The Cavaliers play either Texas A&M or Missouri State in the championship round on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m. or 9 p.m. Both Virginia games will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.

The ACC is expected to release Virginia's complete nonconference schedule and the dates and times of the remainder of the conference games in late August or early September.

Volleyball Headed In Positive Direction

From Jeff White, VirginiaSports.com

For most of his first season as UVa volleyball coach, Dennis Hohenshelt had about a dozen players available for practice.

When Virginia opened practice Saturday, Hohenshelt looked around Memorial Gymnasium and saw 18 players. There's strength in numbers, and that's one reason the Cavaliers expect to show sign

ificant improvement in their second season under Hohenshelt. "It's so much better," libero Emily Rottman said Thursday. "The competitive spirit in the gym is way higher with so many more people. It's way more dynamic having multiple people that can play different positions, and so it takes everything to a higher level."

Rottman is the only senior on a roster that includes 12 freshmen and sophomores. Seven of those players are new to the University: freshmen Jasmine Burton, Haley Kole, Meghan McDowell, Lexi Riccolo, Karlie Suber and Alex Thorson and sophomore Lauren Fuller, a transfer from Arizona whose twin, Manon Greskovics-Fuller, was already on the team. Rottman, who's from Santa Barbara, Calif., was part of the recruiting class that entered UVa in 2010. Three years later, only Rottman and Mallory Woolridge, who redshirted last season because of a shoulder injury, remain from that five-player group.

Rottman and Woolridge are the only players who have already locked up starting jobs, Hohenshelt said. UVa's other returning players are sophomores Amanda Barnes, Vivian Burcescu, Kayla Sears, Natalie Bausback and Greskovics-Fuller and juniors Sydney Shelton, Abbey Welborn, Tori Janowski and Morgan Blair.

Burcescu, Sears and Bausback each started at least 18 matches apiece last year, and Bausback made the ACC's all-freshman team.

"We're in a pretty good spot right now," Hohenshelt said. "We're probably further ahead than what I thought we would be [the first week]. There are some things that we need to work on and get better at, but they're all things that maybe I thought we were going to be behind a little bit in.

"It's fun to be in the gym with this group. Every day's fun. I'm probably more pleased than I thought I would be. I knew those [newcomers] were talented, but what we're doing as a group, as 18 people, I'm extremely excited about."

To read Jeff White's full article on the volleyball team, click here.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Virginia Downs Illinois 3-0 in Preseason Exhibition: The Virginia women's soccer team concluded its week of preseason training in Michigan with a 3-0 victory over Illinois in an exhibition contest on Friday. Danielle Colaprico scored twice for the Cavaliers, while Mary Morgan added a goal and an assist and Makenzy Doniak had a pair of assists. The Cavaliers open the regular season this Friday, Aug. 23 as they host the Klockner Classic. Virginia meets VCU in the second game of a doubleheader at 7:30 p.m. The first game of the day features North Carolina and Santa Clara at 5 p.m.
• Virginia Selected Third in ACC Preseason Women's Soccer Poll: The Virginia women's soccer team was picked third in the ACC in the annual preseason poll of the league's coaches. It is the highest place the Cavaliers have been in the poll since 2008, when they were also selected third. Reigning NCAA Champion North Carolina was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the conference, receiving 13 of the 14 first place votes. Florida State, who was second in the poll, received the other first place vote. Following the Cavaliers in third were Duke, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Maryland, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Miami, Syracuse, NC State and Pittsburgh.
• UVa Men's Golf Schedule Includes Familiar Stops: The Virginia men's golf team's 2013-14 schedule includes a number of traditional tournament appearances and several new events. Virginia opens its season Sept. 6-8 at the Northern Open in Sugar Grove, Ill. The Hoos head to Tennessee on Sept. 20-22 for The Ingraham, to be played at the Golf Club of Tennessee in Nashville. The Cavaliers return to the Volunteer state for the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate on Oct. 11-13 at Blackthorn Golf Club in Johnson City. UVa wraps up the fall with an appearance at the U.S. Collegiate, held at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta. Virginia opens the spring at the Palmetto Intercollegiate in Aiken, S.C. on March 10-11 and then returns to the Schenkel Invitational in Statesboro, Ga. on March 14-16 before closing out the month at Hootie @ Bulls Bay in Charleston, S.C. on March 23-25. The Cavaliers will play in NC State's Wolfpack Intercollegiate April 19-20 before heading to New London, N.C. for the ACC Championships.
• Former Cavalier Phil Gosselin Called Up by Atlanta Braves: Former Virginia infielder Phil Gosselin has been called up to Major League Baseball for the first time by the Atlanta Braves. The 32nd former Cavalier to reach the big-league level, Gosselin played for the UVa baseball program from 2008-10.

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

Mini V-Sabre Rubber Football

Are you ready for the season? Make sure you check out this rubber V-Sabre football as you prep for tailgates and weekends in the backyard. Its mini size makes it easier to throw and catch and it is perfect for kids.

Issue No. 438 - March 22, 2010

London On January Enrollment

January enrollment is frequently a hot message board topic on The Sabre; it particularly fell under debate during the final years of the Al Groh era for the football program. Virginia did not appear to lean too favorably toward the mid-year enrollment route for freshman athletes. As pointed out frequently, however, there is not a UVa rule preventing January enrollment and each decision comes on a case-by-case basis. The key for the football program (or any Cavalier program for that matter) is to present strong candidates for mid-year admission and then prove that your program can successfully help those recruits through the transition to college and ultimately graduate.

New UVa football coach Mike London addressed the January enrollment issue at a media session earlier this month. London believes that it is important to produce successful student-athletes through mid-year enrollment in order to earn the privilege of admitting future January recruits.

"The important thing to me is the ones we do get in mid-year that they do well. Because that may lend itself to having more opportunities later on down the road," London said. "Will Hill is one of those guys that got in mid-year and he's doing real well. Michael Strauss, if he does well, then if the situation presents itself and we present the academic credentials to those that make the decisions, then maybe they'll look upon us favorably."

London pointed out that there is not a rule or restriction on January admission for student-athletes at UVa.

"It can [make an impact]. Again, you look at the different schools and their profiles and what they allow in or what their admissions process is. Currently, right now there is not a roadblock that says we can't. Obviously, you've seen a couple that are here," he said. "I think it's important for us for the ones that do come in, that we continue [to show that] they are good students, they can handle the rigors of being a college student-athlete mid-semester, and make that transition. If they can do that and we can prove that, then hopefully the doors are open for other opportunities."

Read SabreMail No. 438 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:

• Hoo Preview: TheSabre.com's annual preseason look at the football team comes your way throughout August.
• Game Week Coverage: TheSabre.com's weekly coverage of the football team's games begins next week!

In Case You Missed It

Recent Sabre updates ...

Hoo Preview 2013: Take 5
After climbing back into a bowl game for the 2011 season, the Virginia football program stumbled to a 4-8 record in 2012. That led to some coaching changes for the Hoos as they try to piece together a winning season in 2013 against a challenging schedule. As kickoff on the last day of August approaches, "Take 5" as TheSabre.com covers some of the top themes, names, and more in this article.

Hoo Preview 2013: Freshman Report
Tailback Taquan "Smoke" Mizzell, center Eric Tetlow, offensive tackle Sadiq Olanrewaju, defensive tackles Tyrell Chavis and Donte Wilkins, and cornerback Kirk Garner are the subjects of the annual "Freshmen Report" for the Hoo Preview. Mizzell, Chavis, and Wilkins appear to be locks to take the field this coming season, while the others are making a push as well in training camp.

Hoo Preview 2013: Fall Practice Photos, Part 2
Boardhost was able to get out to Friday's practices and snap a few more photos. He concentrated mostly on offensive and defensive linemen as well as receivers and secondary. This is a free gallery for all and includes captions for each photo. Enjoy.

Hoo Preview 2013: Phelps, DBs Prep For Challenges
Safety Brandon Phelps knew a lot about the University of Virginia when he committed out of Damascus High School in Maryland. Both of his parents graduated from UVa after all. He knew some history of the football team too. His father Gary played football and earned letters in 1982 and 1983. Already entering his junior year, Phelps said his college choice has lived up to his expectations.

Hoo Preview 2013: Running With Watford
University of Virginia coach Mike London announced Monday that David Watford has won the starting quarterback job for the football team. Almost immediately that led to reporters asking questions about his running ability and fans posting messages about his mobility. As Watford takes the reins, make sure mobility does not mean exclusively escapability.

Hoo Preview 2013: Watford Named Starting QB
The Virginia football team scrimmaged Saturday at Lambeth Field, long ago the home of the Hoos, and after that brush with history, UVa's coaches settled on a vision of the program's future. Specifically, the staff evaluated the quarterback position and settled on a starter. Mike London revealed David Watford as that choice on Monday.

Hoo Preview 2013: Dean Emerges On D-Line
If you read through the bios of Virginia's projected starters on the defensive line, you'll find an interesting pattern from their final years of high school football. Sacks. And a lot of them. With new defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta and an aggressive 4-3 scheme in town, the front four hopes to produce some flashbacks in orange and blue.

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