Leitao is seeking guard's commitment

Men's basketball coach Dave Leitao is hoping to land a commitment this month from point guard Jontel Evans, a 5-11, 180-pound rising senior at Bethel High in Hampton.

Evans also has a scholarship offer from Marquette, but he'd like to attend a school closer to his home and is seriously interested in Virginia. Evans and his parents met recently with Leitao and other U.Va. officials in Charlottesville.

Also a football star at Bethel, where he made the all-Eastern Region second team at tailback in 2007, Evans plays basketball in the spring and summer for Boo Williams' powerful 17-and-under AAU team. That team played for the Nike Peach Jam tournament title last night in North Augusta, S.C.

"Hopefully, he is ready to make a decision in the very near future," Bethel coach Craig Brehon said Monday.

With Evans at the point last season, the Bruins advanced to the state Group AAA championship game for the first time since 1993, when their stars were Allen Iverson and Tony Rutland. Evans was named second-team all-region in hoops, too.

Evans is built like Jameer Nelson, Brehon said. "Strong legs, strong chest, strong arms."

Chance to meet team is set for Aug. 10

U.Va. football's "Meet the Team Day" will be Aug. 10 at Scott Stadium. Gates will open at 2 p.m., and Cavaliers coach Al Groh and his players will be available from 3 to 4:15 p.m. for photos and autographs.

U.Va. merchandise and concessions will be sold during the event, which also includes activities for youths. Parking is free.

Back to the future

The Sept. 6 football game between U.Va. and Richmond won't be the only attraction at Scott Stadium that day. Virginia's 1989 team, which shared the ACC title with Duke, will be recognized at halftime, and the game is being billed as a celebration of the 10-season span of U.Va. football that began in 1984.

During that period, the Wahoos, under coach George Welsh, won 72 games, played in six bowls and climbed to No. 1 in the national rankings.

Against UR, U.Va.'s players will wear throwback uniforms and helmets from that era. Tickets for the game are $16, about what they would have cost in 1989. Kickoff is set for 3:45 p.m.

In the crease

Faceoffs were a weakness for the U.Va. men's lacrosse team in 2008. Look for significant improvement next season.

Not only do coach Dom Starsia's recruits include one of the nation's best high school faceoff specialists, Ryan Benincasa, Virginia is adding a proven veteran in Chad Gaudet, who was honorable-mention all-Ivy League for Dartmouth in 2008.

Gaudet, who has a year of eligibility left, will pursue a master's degree at U.Va. in a new program offered by the McIntire School of Commerce.

He won 56 percent (144 of 247) of his faceoffs for the Big Green this past season. In Dartmouth's 11-7 loss at U.Va. on April 19, Gaudet won 11 of 21 draws.

With Brian McDermott battling injuries, midfielder Garett Ince took most of U.Va.'s faceoffs in the NCAA tournament this year. The presence of Benincasa, Gaudet and McDermott should allow midfielder Garett Ince, a rising sophomore, to concentrate more on his offense in 2009.

"Maybe he could be like [former U.Va. star] Drew Thompson and take half-a-dozen faceoffs and play a regular midfield shift for us," Starsia said.

Jewels of the class

Baseball America's high school All-America teams for 2008 include two incoming U.Va. recruits.

Danny Hultzen, a 6-2 left-handed pitcher from St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., made the first team. Steven Proscia, a 6-2, 210-pound infielder from Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., was named to the second team.

Hultzen, whom Arizona selected in the 10th round of last month's Major League Baseball draft, went 13-0 with a 0.74 earned-run average this year, striking out 140 in 73 innings. Proscia hit .545 with nine home runs and 45 RBI. Minnesota drafted him in the 39th round last month, but, like Hultzen, Proscia has opted to attend college. - Jeff White