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   SabreMail - May 16, 2002
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The server which hosts TheSabre.com will need to be turned off this Sunday for maintenance and transported to a new location. We apologize for any down time you might experience, and plan to have the server back up and running as soon as possible. The scheduled down town will be for a couple of hours between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST.

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   Recruiting

Southern Invitational Notes


Reynolds and Cooke

Over 90 AAU teams participated in the 3rd annual Southern Invitational Tournament in Charlottesville last weekend. Among those teams there were many high profile recruiting targets for UVa's basketball program.

Junior guard J.R. Reynolds, who has already committed to the Hoos, played for Boo Williams alongside sophomore guard Marquie Cooke. Reynolds performed well, but was criticized by a few 'recruiting analysts' for not performing as well as he was hyped. Unfortunately, many of these recruiting analysts don't pay much attention to the real traits of a point guard, like leadership and passing ability. Reynolds, unlike many guards that play in these events, chose to play unselfishly and lead his team to a landslide in the tournament championship game. In one of the closest games that Boo Williams' team played, Reynolds hit free throws to send the game into overtime, and then hit free throws to win it in the end.

There's no doubt that Reynolds will help the Cavaliers in the years to come. He has tremendous talent and a great attitude. Reynolds told this writer that he is absolutely firm in his commitment to the Hoos and has never wavered, contrary to other reports a few months ago.

For the Tim Thomas Playaz, it was centers Darryl Watkins and Will Sheridan, and forward Terrence Roberts, who caught the eye of the UVa coaches. Watkins has the size and skills to be a top college center, but his motivation and effort on the court need improvement. Sheridan is solid, defensively and offensively, and is not afraid to play with his back to the hoop. He spread wide in the lane and has several nice moves inside. Sheridan is a good student and has Virginia high on his list. Roberts is the small forward that UVa wants badly. He can take his man off the dribble, hit the outside shot, or take it inside. He's best known for his rebounding, but it's hard to fault him in any area. He's comparable to former UVa forward Chris Williams, but with a more aggressive nature on the court.

Also from the Playaz was little known guard J.R. Smith - well, let's just say he wasn't as well known until last weekend. Smith was a human highlight film, throwing down monstrous, in-your-face dunks as well as stripping the net from beyond NBA 3-point range. Smith is an excellent two-guard prospect, but his recruitment doesn't stop there. Smith is just as comfortable on the football field as a wide receiver and defensive back.

Smith told this writer that he wants to play two sports in college, and really likes Virginia at this point. When the rankings come out, don't be surprised to see Smith in the Top 50 at his position nationally in both sports. He's already one of the best receiver prospects in the state of New Jersey, and his performance at the S.I.T. and other AAU events will make him a big-time recruit in basketball as well. The question that remains is which sport will he accept his scholarship for - basketball or football?

The best player at the tournament was easy to spot - Luol Deng from the New Jersey Demons. Deng showed his skills from the inside and outside, and even the triple teams that many squads used to try and contain him, couldn't stop him from scoring. Deng lists Duke and UVa as his top two schools, but there's a chance that this young man could be headed to the NBA out of high school. Deng's team lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament, leaving him with plenty of time to get a nice tour of the grounds by the UVa coaching staff.

To find out more on the rest of Virginia's top targets at this tournament, an overview of their performance, and quotes from many of them including their lists of schools, please refer to the recently released May issue of the Sabre Newsletter.

Ahmad Brooks to retake SAT

In a stroke of really bad luck, superstar linebacker Ahmad Brooks found out recently that administrators lost his SAT answer sheet. Brooks took his SAT on March 16, but his test along with tests from 40 other student, apparently was lost in route to the Educational Testing Service. Brooks will re-take the test tomorrow and hopes to become eligible to play for the Cavaliers for the 2002 season. Brooks will also have another opportunity to re-take the SAT in June if he fails to qualify tomorrow, or someone loses his answer sheet again.

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   News, Rumors and Fan Discussion

This week ...

Mapp holds teleconference


Majestic Mapp
Majestic Mapp held a teleconference today in order to speak with media representatives about his recovery from knee surgery and his plans for the future. Mapp had requested not to speak with the media for the past 6-7 months do to person reasons.

For those of you who have not followed the situation, Mapp tore the ACL in his right knee the summer before the 2000-01 season while playing pick-up basketball at home in New York. After complications, Mapp underwent two arthroscopic knee surgeries to correct the problem. Last summer, it was decided that he would need ACL reconstruction again on the knee, causing him to miss a second consecutive season.

Mapp has progressed well from his most recent surgery and hopes to start informal practices with the team in mid to late June.

"For the most part, the knee is progressing fine. The problems with the knee have been minimized," said Majestic at a teleconference today. "Now it's just a matter of getting my quad and my hamstring [muscles] back to one hundred percent. By September, I should be playing in every pick-up basketball game with the team. I think I'll be fine come October 13th [when official practices begin]"

Out of high school, Mapp was considered one of the top point guards in the nation. He participated in the McDonalds All-American game, as well as Magic's Roundball Classic in Detroit.

In high school, Mapp was known best for his incredible court vision, and the ability to make great passes and set his teammates up for easy scores. Mapp showed glimpses of his talent while backing up former UVa point guard Donald Hand during his freshman year. Minute for minute, Mapp matched Hand's performance on the court.

Mapp's on-the-court leadership was sorely missed the past two years, as UVa went from Top 10 early to falling hard near the end of each season, and failing to making past the first round in the post-season tournaments. If Mapp makes a full recovery, his leadership, along with that of junior transfer Todd Billet, should help the Cavaliers to improve considerably for the upcoming season.

For a detailed look at Mapp and his teleconference, please see out our exclusive report.

New arena plans approved by BOV


New Arena Plan
The University of Virginia Board of Visitors approved the architectural plans this week for a new area to be built on the parking lot across the street from University Hall, between Copeley Hill and Emmet Street.

Plans are for a $128 million, 15,076-seat arena to be built by May 2006. The arena will contain many of the architectural designs that appear at the newly renovated Scott Stadium, like the pergola for example. The arena will contain 20 luxury suites that may lease for around $40,000 to $50,000 per year. The architect of this project, Bob Moje of VMDO, is the same architect of the Scott Stadium renovation project.

Click here to read the Richmond Times-Dispatch article.

JC Mathis transfer

Rising junior men's basketball player J.C. Mathis is transferring out of the UVa program. With the edition of transfer Nick Vanderlaan, and the experience of Elton Brown and Jason Clark, Mathis was likely to receive a limited amount of playing this final two years. His best chance for extensive playing time will come on another team, but there's no word on where Mathis will transfer at this time.

Read the official release.

Terry Holland Inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

Former Virginia head basketball coach and Athletic Director Terry Holland was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame Wednesday. Holland, a native of Clinton, N.C., is currently a special assistant to President John Casteen at UVa, and has overseen the new basketball arena project since resigning from his duties as Athletic Director, a position he held for six years.

Holland also served as UVa's head basketball coach from 1974 to 1990, and was the winningest basketball coach in the history of the program. Holland coached during the Ralph Sampson era, when Virginia held the number one ranking in the country off and on for several years and took the program to a level of prominence it hasn't achieved since.

For more on Holland and his achievements, please see the official release.

UVa men's lacrosse to play this weekend

The UVa men's lacrosse team resumes action on May 19th. They will face Cornell in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament after the conclusion of the Johns Hopkins versus Massachusetts game starting at noon.

The game will be played at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

For more on this weekend's NCAA quarterfinal match-ups, see VirginiaSports.com.

   What's New at TheSabre.com

New user preferences area

If you are signed up for multiple accounts with TheSabre.com, and have had some trouble learning where to go to change your account information, then we've got good news. We've set up a page on the site that can direct you to every place where changes may need to be made. Want to change your email? No problem. Now you can easily change all of your information without having to email us.

Check out the new User Preferences area today. We have provided links to this area at the top of the message boards and on each home page on the left-hand menu column.

2002 Pre-Season Spring Blowout Sale

Getting ready for the upcoming season? Flex your muscles and take a few laps around our new Pre-season Blowout Sale in TheSabreShop.com. No need to sprint through this sale. We have added so many items you will want to pace yourself. Many of your standard feature items, as well as leather goods, watches and kids items, will be on this Spring Sale roster. To show our appreciation, TheSabreShop will also include a free gift in each shipment.

The 2002 Spring Pre-season Blowout Sale will make room for our new store items and designs taking the field this summer. Check it out and SAVE BIG!

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For more information, check out the April 2001 Issue and see what you're missing!

 
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