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From the Notebook of Mac McDonald
Story Links
Notes from May 4, 2003
The Matt Schaub-Heisman hype hasn’t really started yet, so let me be the first to cast my vote. Yes, his numbers were great last year…yes, the Cavalier’s quarterback won the ACC Player of the Year honor, yes…his teammates believe in him…and this spring the West Chester, Pennsylvania native was one of the most improved players in the ‘Hoos spring camp. And yes….he is carrying the banner as one of the most popular players to don the orange and blue since Tiki and Ronde. Kids love him, fans love him, and he is handling the role of team leader and spokesperson like he has been though this national hype hundreds of times.
“I have a lot to prove,” Matt told me recently at a luncheon for a high school campaign called Play It Smart.
“For us to accomplish our goals…our team goals, I have to improve and get better. I made a lot of strides this spring, but there is plenty of room for improvement.”
Matt Schaub is the real deal…in all areas. I hope the voters take notice real soon.
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Schaub loves the Cavalier offense. As I watched the final “spring game” drills from the sidelines, I was impressed by the weapons and versatility this team will have next fall. UVA has depth at key positions, like tight end, running back, fullback, and the wide receivers, minus Billy McMullen, are only going to get better. This Virginia offense will be able to play a lot of ball control in the fourth quarter of games and chew up a lot of clock.
“Just the way I like it,” Schaub said with a wink following a touchdown pass.
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CNNSI…the website…has given Virginia a football preseason ranking of 16. NC State is 6th…Florida State is 14th and Maryland 15th.
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Please forgive me for wanting to brag a little bit, but my third annual golf tournament produced over $60,000 for the UVA Children’s Medical Center. It was the culmination of efforts from a lot of people and our celebrity field was spectacular featuring ESPN’s Jay Bilas, Voice of the Washington Redskins Frank Herzog, and former Cavalier players Billy Baber (Kansas City Chiefs) Noel Lamontagne, and Patrick Kerney (Atlanta Falcons). NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long showed up for the putting contest as did former UVA assistant and Virginia Tech head coach Ricky Stokes.
Ricky was headed to Columbia, South Carolina to spend some time with former UVA assistant Dave Odom, who lost assistant Ernie Nestor to the head coaching position at Elon. There is some talk that Stokes would leave Blacksburg and move to Gamecock country to sit next to Coach Odom. However, Odom is also interested in former North Carolina assistant Phil Ford who may not find his way to the Roy Williams bench. Stay tuned for that coaching carousel.
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Virginia’s baseball team could be the surprise of this year’s ACC Tournament in Salem…just outside Roanoke. The Cavaliers are getting good pitching and doing so many things on offense…they hit and run, steal bases, squeeze, and move runners with regularity. When UVA took two of three from Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina it marked the first time the Wahoos had won a series there since 1993.
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Virginia’s athletic director, Craig Littlepage, was just named one of Sports Illustrated’s “Most Influential Minorities in Sports”. “Page” was ranked 46th out of 101 minority athletes and sports leaders and was highlighted with the likes of Magic Johnson, Venus Williams, Allen Iverson, and Tiger Woods. I’m glad SI printed the quote that represents the Littlepage philosophy…”I just want to do something extraordinary.”