Basketball Features 
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Basketball Features
"We're moving the bar up a little bit in terms of the caliber of player we're bringing in," Tony Bennett told TheSabre Editor Kris Wright in an exclusive EDGE Q&A.
The 2012 class, in fact, was Virginia's most highly rated class since Bennett took over as head coach. The Cavaliers will now look to continue their success in 2013 recruiting, which is very much in full swing.
Virginia's first trip to the NCAA Tournament under coach Tony Bennett sparked excitement for Cavalier fans and the renewed interest still hasn't worn off. TheSabre.com men's basketball message board continues to buzz with talk of the Hoos, recruiting, hoops strategy, Mike Scott's shot at the NBA, and more. What could be better for enthusiastic basketball fans in the offseason than a conversation with Bennett about the Wahoos and some of his coaching beliefs? Sabre Editor Kris Wright sat down with Coach Bennett for a one-on-one interview last week.
Virginia graduate Mike Scott, who starred at forward for the men's basketball team this season, is pulling in interest from numerous NBA teams. Whether that will lead to a spot in the NBA Draft on June 28 remains to be seen. UVa coach Tony Bennett thinks Scott could carve out a role in the NBA thanks to his mid-range jumper. Read about that, Malcolm Brogdon's rehab, and scheduling in this notes article.
University of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett took the lead role in the recruitment of shooting guard Matt Thomas, obviously a sign of how highly he thinks of the 6'4", 195-pound rising senior. Coach Bennett was able to speak with the first-team all-state standout face to face on Tuesday, when Thomas was on Grounds for an unofficial visit.
Massanutten Military Academy (Woodstock, VA) point guard Corban Collins averaged 25 points, 8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in 2011/2012, catching the attention the major college coaches in the process. Collins, in fact, has now earned major Division 1 scholarship offers.
A couple of days after Central Florida released Taylor Barnette from the letter of intent he signed back in November, UVa was in contact with the 6'3", 175-pound guard prospect. The Lexington Christian Academy (Lexington, KY) senior ultimately scheduled an official visit, which took place last Thursday and Friday. He left Charlottesville officially a member of UVa's 2012 class.
Barnette discusses his decision and more in this "Q&A" feature.
Check out our final recruiting reports from the Nike EYBL Hampton, including an update on talented 2014 prospect Justin Jackson in Recruiting News, Notes and Links. Also check out new offer updates on top in-state football recruits.
The 2012 Peach Jam will take place July 18-21. This date could be significant for class of 2013 combo guard Stanford Robinson, who is playing the AAU circuit with Team Takeover after turning in a good season with Paul VI (Fairfax, VA).
Anthony "Big Cat" Barber is considered one of the top point guards in the class of 2013. Rivals.com rates him a 5-star prospect and the no. 13 junior in the nation. Scout.com ranks him as a 5-star and no. 21 in the country, while ESPN.com has him as a 4-star recruit and the no. 25 junior in the country. As you might expect, the 6'2", 165-pound Hampton (VA) product is a highly recruited player.
Class of 2014 point guard Devon Hall averaged 16 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds per game this past season, when he helped Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, VA) capture the VIS Division II state championship. The 6'5", 200-pound Hall earned VIS Division II Player of the Year honors for his performance in the 2011/2012 high school season, and he is looking to continue his consistent and solid play on the AAU circuit this spring and summer.
The 2012 Capital Classic took place on Saturday, April 21, and the U.S. All-Stars came away with a 105-93 win over the Capital All-Stars. The U.S. team featured University of Virginia-bound recruits Evan Nolte and Mike Tobey, while the Capital team, which is comprised of top seniors from the Maryland/DC/Northern Virginia area, featured Cavaliers recruit Justin Anderson.
Score one for the University of Virginia in the transfer department. 6'8", 235-pound power forward Anthony Gill, a freshman who decided to transfer from the University of South Carolina after the firing of Darrin Horn, has committed to UVa over Ohio State. Gill's former AAU coach, Rick Lewis, first reported the info via Twitter after speaking with Gill's father.
In this latest "Notes," 2012 recruit Evan Nolte discusses playing against and alongside future Virginia teammates Justin Anderson and Mike Tobey in tomorrow's Capital Classic. Also, read the latest on South Carolina transfer Damontre Harris, who knows two schools he wants to visit in the coming weeks.
After four straight losses in the Virginia Group AA Division 3 State Championship, the Brunswick Bulldogs (Lawrenceville, VA) have now reeled off two state titles in a row. Head coach Bryant Stith has been at the helm of the team's remarkable success, and his sons -- junior Brandan and sophomore B.J. -- have played important roles on the two championship squads.
All season long, scoring droughts and opponents that could spread the floor enough to stretch the Pack-Line defense gave Virginia fits. So when both of those elements appeared once again in the NCAA Tournament matchup with Florida on Friday, the Cavaliers couldn't overcome the challenges and fell in lopsided fashion. The Gators rolled to a 71-45 victory in the Midwest Regional as the Hoos' return to the Big Dance ended quickly.
Jason Williford has been coaching collegiate basketball for 12 years. Nearing the conclusion of his third year as a Virginia men's basketball assistant coach, Williford has come full circle - from UVa player to UVa assistant coach - and is exactly where he wants to be, back within the Virginia basketball program. The passion and loyalty for the Cavaliers remains evident any time you talk with Coach Williford, including during The Sabre Interview.
Okay, so if Virginia went on a magical tourney run it wouldn't exactly make the Cavs a "Cinderella" in the traditional sense, but in so many ways, the shoe would fit. The overused fairy-tale cliche conjures up thoughts of so-called "mid-major" programs overcoming the adversity of (often) smaller campuses, smaller budgets, smaller fanbases, and smaller players. Well, what about fielding a smaller team? Numerically speaking, that's exactly what the Hoos are faced with this Friday.
Discussing Virginia's 2012 recruiting class to Hoos Talking two months ago, Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett said the following about Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) senior center Mike Tobey: "He has a real big upside. He's skilled. Deceptively athletic. Has real nice touch. He can step out and shoot the face-up, but he has got some back-to-the-basket moves and good instincts. I think Virginia fans are going to be real excited to watch his career unfold because I think he has a big upside."
UVa fans should see a lot of the 6'11", 225-pound Tobey next season.
The Virginia men's basketball program earned its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since the 2007 event on Sunday. The Cavaliers received one of the 37 at-large bids to the Big Dance as a No. 10 seed in the West Region where it will meet No. 7 seed Florida from the Southeastern Conference. The contest is scheduled for Friday in Omaha, Nebraska.
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