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If you rely on The Roanoke Times for information on the University of Virginia’s athletic program, which can be a risky venture at times, perhaps you have lost track of one-time basketball recruiting target Eric Wallace.

Wallace, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound swingman, was described as an “extraterrestrial” athlete by talent scout Tom Konchalski at the time of his oral commitment to Virginia during the 2006 Five-Star Basketball Camp.

I remember driving to Hampden-Sydney and back after camp director Howard Garfinkel had advised me of Wallace’s choice of Virginia and had promised me exclusive access to the future Cavalier. Read more »

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Virginia trimmed a 17-point Maryland lead to two points but could come no closer Tuesday night in an 84-78 men's basketball loss in College Park, Md.

It was the third straight loss for Virginia (7-8 overall, 1-3 ACC). Maryland improved to 13-5 and 2-2.

UVa junior Jamil Tucker came off the bench to score a career-high 21 points in 26 minutes, hitting four of six 3-point attempts, but the rest of the team was 2-of-14 from behind the arc. Read more »

After several days of preparing for the massive traffic jam that was supposed to accompany the Presidential inauguaration, I took the  recommendation of somebody who  suggested that it would be a good idea to double the normal travel time to the University of Maryland

So, it was that I left Roanoke at 10 a.m. for a drive to College Park, Md., a trip that normally takes four hours and 15 minutes.

And arrived in College Park at 2:30. Read more »

One day after Thursday night's Virginia-North Carolina men's basketball debacle, which was not to be confused with Friday night's UVa-UNC women's basketball debacle, I took a call from Northside High School alumnus and Arcadia resident Bob Switzer.

I'm not sure Switzer actually reads the paper, but he used to, and he's probably called me 3,000 times over the years. In any case, Switzer asked if there was anything good to come out of UVa's performance in an 83-61 loss,

When I thought about it, I did find a couple of positives:

1) Calvin Baker played as well in the first half as we've seen him , coming off the bench to score 11 points in 11 minutes. (So, why did he play only four minutes in the second half? Coach Dave Leitao said he wasn't injured).

2) Freshman center Assane Sene had 10 rebounds.

3) Jeff Jones had six points and four defensive rebounds in 11 minutes. (Be careful what you wish for if you think this guy should transfer). Read more »

Steve Spurrier tried to hire Bud Foster twice -- first when he was head coach at Florida and then two years ago at South Carolina.

On each occasion, Tech's renowned defensive coordinator told Spurrier thanks, but no thanks.

Well, Spurrier finally has secured a Virginia Tech guy to be the mastermind for his defense. His catch sure ain't Foster, though.

Lorenzo "Whammy" Ward, who coached the Hokies' secondary from 1999-2005 before leaving Blacksburg to take an NFL assistant coaching position in 2006 with the Oakland Raiders, was named the Gamecocks' new defensive coordinator/safeties coach earlier this week. Read more »

(TRIVIA QUESTION: Who is Virginia’s all-time leader in personal fouls ? Keep reading for the answer.)

As far as back as last summer, Virginia men’s basketball coach Dave Leitao said one of the biggest challenges facing his freshman big men was to learn to play without excessive fouling.

He certainly had that right.

Anybody watching the Virginia-Virginia Tech game this past Saturday could see the impact that 7-foot UVa freshman Assane Sene was having at the defensive end. Read more »

Virginia Tech defensive end Orion Martin of Martinsville has been chosen to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, while Virginia tight end John Phillips of Bath County has been selected to participate in the Senior Bowl.

Other players from the state invited to participate in the East-West Shrine contest are defensive lineman Lawrence Sidbury of I-AA national champion Richmond and defensive back Don Carey of Norfolk State.

Ex-VMI and Maryland coach Bobby Ross will coach the East squad, with former Alabama coach Gene Stallings handling the West team for the Jan. 17 contest at the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium. Read more »

Geez, I thought I was the only one who didn't see much of Virginia Tech's 20-7 victory over Cincinnati in the 75th FedEx Orange Bowl on New Year's night.

From my seat in the West Press Box, located in the far-removed end zone at Dolphin Stadium, the contest was a veritable rumor at times. The only way of seeing what really transpired on a play on the other end of the field was by watching a television monitor in the box.

Obviously, the small turnout of writers onhand for the game were not included in the television ratings count.

While I'm sure this is not breaking news to some Tech fans, the Orange Bowl was hardly a ratings hit for FOX.  The contest drew an overnight rating of 6.1, which was down 23 percent from a 7.9 that the network attracted for last year's Sugar Bowl -- Georgia's 41-10 thumping of Hawaii -- which also aired on New Year's Day.

Read more »

Jeremiah Mathis, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound defensive end from Bowie, Md., has given Virginia its 24th football commitment for 2009.

Mathis had 96 tackles, including 13 sacks, as a senior this past season for DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md.

Mathis said he also had offers from Maryland, Clemson, Syracuse, N.C. State and Liberty.

Mathis was an all-state selection and a second-team All-Metro choice by The Washington Post.