Virginia sports

Former Virginia guard Paul Jesperson transfers to Northern Iowa

Associated Press — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:00:12 GMT

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Former Virginia guard Paul Jesperson has transferred to Northern Iowa.

Coach Ben Jacobson announced Tuesday that Jesperson will join the Panthers. He’ll sit out in 2013-14 and have two years of eligibility left.

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Virginia Tech is too gracious a host in its first game in the 2013 NCAA baseball tournament

Mark Giannotto — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 03:47:00 GMT

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Fans covered in maroon and orange lined up outside English Field 90 minutes before the opening pitch. They filled temporary bleachers along right field and moved into the concourses when all those seats were taken, the familiar chants of “Let’s Go Hokies” echoing throughout a picturesque evening in Southwest Virginia.

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Virginia coach Mike London announces that quarterback Phillip Sims is ineligible, not enrolled

Associated Press — Fri, 31 May 2013 17:30:31 GMT

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Quarterback Phillip Sims’ time at Virginia is finished.

The heralded transfer from Alabama is ineligible to play and will leave the university after completing his current summer school session, coach Mike London announced Friday. London said in a statement released by the school that “Phillip did not make the commitment he needed to succeed here.”

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Quarterback Phillip Sims leaving Virginia for academic reasons

Mark Giannotto — Fri, 31 May 2013 17:21:00 GMT

One year after arriving at Virginia as a ballyhooed transfer, quarterback Phillip Sims is looking for another school again.

Coach Mike London announced Friday that Sims is academically ineligible and will no longer be enrolled at school following the completion of the current summer session. In a statement, London did not mince words as to why Sims, a former five-star recruit from Chesapeake, Va., won’t be with the program going forward.

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Clifton Richardson to leave Virginia football program

Mark Giannotto — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:38:14 GMT

One of the deepest positions on Virginia’s football roster suffered some attrition Thursday.

Coach Mike London announced junior running back Clifton Richardson has been granted a release from his scholarship and will leave the program.

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Clifton Richardson, 3rd on depth chart at TB after spring practice, to transfer from Virginia

Associated Press — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:32:12 GMT

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Virginia coach Mike London says junior running back Clifton Richardson has decided to transfer.

London says Richardson asked for permission to pursue opportunities elsewhere and he wishes him well. Richardson has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

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Virginia basketball to face Wisconsin in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Mark Giannotto — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:19:19 GMT

ESPN announced the matchups for the 2013 Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Wednesday afternoon, and Virginia’s opponent will be a familiar one for Coach Tony Bennett.

For the second year in a row, Virginia will face Wisconsin in a contest that will pit Bennett against his former boss, Badgers Coach Bo Ryan. Last season, the Cavaliers went up to Madison, Wis., and beat Wisconsin, 60-54, in a homecoming for Bennett, whose father, Dick, coached at Wisconsin for seven years and led the Badgers to the Final Four in 2000.

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Jets draft O-linemen in 5th, 6th rounds

Associated Press — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:24:14 GMT

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A day after making a stunning move to draft Geno Smith, the New York Jets wrapped things up by adding some depth to their offensive line.

They selected Virginia offensive tackle Oday Aboushi in the fifth round Saturday, and then took Michigan defensive tackle Will Campbell — but officially listed him as an offensive lineman — in the sixth round.

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Associated Press — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 21:52:16 GMT

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Notre Dame football sets up ACC opponents for 2014 and onward

Mark Giannotto — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:49:40 GMT

The ACC announced Friday that both Virginia and Virginia Tech will play football games against Notre Dame over the next fours seasons as part of the league’s scheduling agreement with the Fighting Irish.

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Virginia coach Tony Bennett says sophomore guard Paul Jesperson will transfer

Associated Press — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:26:14 GMT

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Virginia coach Tony Bennett says sophomore guard Paul Jesperson is leaving the Cavaliers’ program.

The 6-foot-6 Jesperson started 33 of 35 games this season. He averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds. He scored a career-best 12 points in an 80-69 victory at Maryland on Feb. 10, but shot just 36.1 percent from the field overall. He made 40 of 108 3-point tries, or 37 percent.

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Virginia’s Paul Jesperson announces decision to transfer

Mark Giannotto — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:00:18 GMT

Virginia shooting guard Paul Jesperson has decided to leave the men’s basketball program and transfer to another school, Coach Tony Bennett announced Monday.

Jesperson started 33 of the team’s 35 games this past season and averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest. The sophomore from Merrill, Wis., shot just 36.1 percent for the year, but he hit 37 percent of his three-pointers and Bennett valued his defensive skills on the perimeter.

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Virginia football struggles to muster much offense at spring game

Mark Giannotto — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 23:41:28 GMT

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The Virginia football team spent the spring focused on all the new within its program. There is a new, and more experienced, coaching staff; new schemes on offense, defense and special teams; and a new $13 million practice facility to entice recruits.

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With new coaches, Virginia football learning a new language in spring practice

Mark Giannotto — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:38:53 GMT

CHARLOTTESVILLE – When Coach Mike London first took over the Virginia football program before spring practice in 2009, he told assistants about his swear jar. Each time a coached cursed on the field or in the team’s facilities, a $1 donation would be made.

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Marble scores 24 and Iowa ends Virginia’s 19-game home winning streak, 75-64, in NIT quarters

Associated Press — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 02:26:07 GMT

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Roy Devyn Marble scored 24 points and Iowa ended Virginia’s 19-game home winning streak with a 75-64 victory in the NIT quarterfinals Wednesday night, earning the Hawkeyes a trip to Madison Square Garden.

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Iowa defeats Virginia, 75-64, in NIT quarterfinals

By Mark Giannotto — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 01:35:00 GMT

CHARLOTTESVILLE — It took the Virginia men’s basketball team more than four months to suffer two home losses. But when the Cavaliers left John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday night, another opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden having slipped through their fingers, the second defeat left no room for redemption.

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Justin Anderson scores 18 and Virginia beats St. John’s 68-50 in NIT 2nd round

Associated Press — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:31:07 GMT

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Justin Anderson scored a career-high 18 points and Virginia extended its home winning streak to 19 games Sunday with a 68-50 victory against St. John’s in the second round of the NIT.

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Anderson, Mitchell score 15 as Virginia hangs on to beat Norfolk State 67-56 in NIT opener

Associated Press — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 04:24:50 GMT

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Justin Anderson scored 15 points, including four key free throws in the final minutes, and Virginia overcame a sloppy offensive performance to beat Norfolk State 67-56 in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday night.

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Mark Giannotto — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:45:37 GMT

The road to recovery for Virginia football began in full Monday morning. After a tumultuous offseason followed the team’s second 4-8 season in three years, the Cavaliers took the to the practice field for the start of spring practice.

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Virginia football spring practice: Four position battles to watch

Mark Giannotto — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:45:00 GMT

The Virginia football team started down the road to recovery Monday morning. After a tumultuous offseason followed the team’s second 4-8 season in three years, the Cavaliers took to the practice field for the start of spring practice.

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Virginia men’s basketball is left out of NCAA tournament

Mark Giannotto — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 01:06:27 GMT

When the Virginia men’s basketball team gathered on Sunday night to watch the NCAA tournament selection show, Coach Tony Bennett told the Cavaliers there was a good chance their name would not be called.

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ACC tournament 2013: Virginia can bolster at-large hopes with win over N.C. State

Mark Giannotto — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:07:40 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Virginia’s Joe Harris can sometimes hear Coach Tony Bennett’s voice in his ear whenever he flips the channel to ESPN, but he still can’t resist it. Though Bennett wants his players to focus on anything but their tenuous status on the NCAA tournament bubble, it’s hard to avoid at this point considering the Cavaliers’ season may come down to one game.

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ACC tournament 2013: Virginia’s Jontel Evans shrugs off fan angst about his play

Mark Giannotto — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:25:09 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C. — When Jontel Evans saw the photo, he wondered if Tony Bennett would hang it up in his office. Virginia’s coach has several photos of memorable events, and Evans hoped the moments after the Cavaliers beat Maryland on senior night would rank among them.

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Pick 6: A list of impact players who could play a big factor in this week’s ACC tournament

Associated Press — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:16:42 GMT

The Atlantic Coast Conference didn’t exactly follow the preseason script this year.

It was supposed to be North Carolina State unseating perennial heavyweights Duke and North Carolina atop the league. Instead, it was Miami winning its first regular-season title and earning the top seed at this week’s tournament.

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Freshmen Mike Tobey, Justin Anderson key to Virginia’s win over Maryland

Mark Giannotto — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:53:05 GMT

When Virginia had finished orchestrating its biggest comeback since 2006 in a dramatic 61-58 overtime victory over Maryland on Sunday night, 11,794 nervous fans at John Paul Jones Arena, collectively exhaled. Senior point guard Jontel Evans shed tears of joy on the court and in the locker room. Cavaliers Coach Tony Bennett, never one to savor a victory, even cracked jokes during his postgame news conference.

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