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Tom Hayslett and his wife are both UVa graduates. |
Tom Hayslett has one of The Sabre’s great play-on-words user names: ChattaHOOga. Not only does it tip the cap to UVa’s beloved nickname, it also honors Hayslett’s hometown these days. Of course, after reading this edition of Sabre FanWatch, you’ll see it could have just as easily been ChattaHOOPSga because Hayslett is a big fan of the hardwood Hoos.
Cornell Parker, John Crotty, and Terry Holland each earned spots in the answers below and Hayslett thinks winning a National Championship in basketball would be as much fun as any sports fantasy. That doesn’t even mention the atmosphere of home games in the ACC and college basketball in general.
With that in mind, what does Hayslett see in Tony Bennett? So far, so good as the new Cavalier coach has displayed an understanding of and respect for “the unique aspects” of coaching at UVa that can make it challenging.
“I could not be more excited,” Hayslett says. “I realize it’s all kool-aid and orange glasses right now, so maybe my excitement should be more tempered. That said, my sense is that [Craig] Littlepage found a guy that is the consummate teacher-coach, who also will endear people to the program because he represents it with such class and dignity and because he cares about positively influencing the young men that come through the program.
“I am no expert on coaching basketball,” he continued (while adding that he’s never coached anyone more than 9 years old), “but it appears that he has some core philosophies about coaching and playing the game that can be successful at UVa (and in the past have been successful at UVa), because they don’t overly rely on out-talenting people.”
Certainly Hayslett isn’t the only Hoo fan that hopes Bennett finds success at Virginia. If he does, he may make a Sabre fan’s favorites list in the future. For now, however, let’s take a closer look at where former coach like Terry Holland fell in ChattaHOOga’s FanWatch feature:
Name: Thomas (Tom) Hayslett
Sabre username: ChattaHOOga
EDGE member since: I think December of 2007
Age: 37
Residence: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Occupation: Attorney (general corporate; real estate development)
UVa ties: College 1994; my wife is College 1995; my wife’s older brother (W&M grad) joined the UVa faculty around 2000 (architectural historian) and recently earned tenure.
Distinctions/interesting notes about yourself: UVa made me a Jefferson-phile, but over the last few years I’ve become a growing Andrew Jackson-phile, and frankly there are some similarities between to the two. Also like reading about English history. I’m an extremely average golfer but a pretty decent (and overly experienced) tee ball coach and U-8 soccer coach.
“The FanWatch Fifteen”
Favorite Cavalier sport?
Would have to be basketball. I love football (and frankly I try to follow the baseball team, tennis team, golf teams, and whatever else is going on from time to time), but if forced to choose, I’d have to go with basketball. The ACC’s tradition and history is deepest in basketball, I love the atmosphere of conference basketball games, and I think I would have the most fun watching us finally win a National Championship in basketball, as compared to the other sports.
Favorite Cavalier athlete (past and/or present) and why?
On a personal level, Cornell Parker, because he (as well as Derrick Johnson) was a first-year suite-mate of mine (Tuttle 120s). Both were nice guys, but Cornell was particularly engaging – and of course, he stayed at the University for the full 4 years.
In terms of strictly “on the playing field” – John Crotty. Not as flashy, explosive, athletic, or dominant as Sean Singletary or Cory Alexander, but he was a rock solid point guard on some pretty good teams. The duration of his NBA career speaks to his reliability and his skills. And no one has been able to replicate his trademark hunched-over, low to the ground, caveman dribble technique.
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Terry Holland |
Favorite Cavalier coach (past and/or present) and why?
It seems almost too easy to say “Terry Holland,” but I’m going to say it. Off the court, Coach Holland ably and appropriately carried the image of a Virginia gentleman (which I think he has carried on to Davidson and in his work with student-athlete issues and with the NCAA generally). On the court, he coached teams to be tough as heck, and to play sound basketball. I do not know Coach Holland personally, but he certainly seems first class, all the way.
Most memorable Cavalier sports moment?
This one is not even close for me. September 8, 1990; 20-7; The Streak Stands at One. I had been on Grounds for all of 3 weeks, but you didn’t have to have been steeped for decades in all things Hoos to understand, really to feel, the importance of that game that day. In retrospect, Clemson just never had a chance – partly because the time to finally beat them simply had arrived, partly because there was overwhelming emotion in the fans and, I presume, the team that translated well onto the field, and partly because the 1990 team was just so explosive on offense.
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Shawn Moore’s talents were on full display in the streak-snapping win. |
Shawn Moore was just fantastic that season – I think the best quarterback to have played for UVa. I’ve seen some replays of games from that season, and frankly it can be a bit surprising to be visually reminded just how good he was at throwing the ball (certainly helped having Herman to pitch to) as well as moving in the pocket and running with the ball. He was just a tremendous athlete. I know people, particularly fans younger than me, tend to point to the ’95 win over FSU as the biggest win in Virginia history, but I really think that the Clemson win still sits on top of the list. The Clemson win validated George Welsh’s success at UVa up to that point and all but made certain that we would be a solid team for that great stretch that really ran through ’98 or so. The Clemson win made the FSU win possible.
I will toss in an “honorable mention” to this question – the UVa/UNC home basketball game my fourth year (’94). We had a pretty decent team – I think Cornell was the only one who wasn’t back the next season for the run to the regional finals. UNC had their usual stable, including multiple 7-footers. I think Eric Montross was probably on that team. It was a night game and it snowed a bunch in C’ville that day. Enough for the roads to be pretty dicey. My roommates loaded up in my car to go to the game, and on the way we had to swing by the KD house to pick up my girlfriend (now wife). Off of University Avenue, I turned onto Madison Lane and was driving in front of SPE, The Hall, etc. As the grade steepened downhill toward Chancellor Street, the car started sliding like it was a bobsled (though not too fast) and ran into a telephone pole at the bottom of the hill. After a second or two of stunned silence, I jumped out of car, commanded “Let’s ditch it!” and started trudging through the snow. I was NOT going to miss the UNC game. After another second or two (of more rational thought than I was experiencing) one of my roommates calmly got out of the back seat and suggested the obvious – “hey; don’t you think we should just try to back it up first?” Turned out there was hardly a scratch. Bumpers on the ’92 Mazda Protégé’s were well designed. We hopped back in and zipped on to the game. Hoos won in a rally, and Cornell had a good night.
Cavalier sports fantasy?
I’m going to opt for the simple here. I think it’s just getting to the point where I have the time and resources to make the ACC basketball tournament a regular road trip for me and my son (and by the way, I’ve never been to the tournament before). And in saying that, I know I run the risk of sounding exclusive relative to my two girls. But I just think there’s unique importance in father/son time in terms training up a child, and I think an annual tradition of going to the tournament would be a great vehicle for that kind of time and also would be the source of valuable memories. He is 6 right now and could not come close to sitting through 4 games in a day or 11 games in 4 days. Maybe in 3 or 4 years we can start that tradition and have run of 6 or 7 years in a row of going. And, of course, it would be all the sweeter if the Hoos were able finally repeat the ’76 miracle during that run.
Favorite thing about TheSabre.com? Or best Sabre memory?
My favorite thing about The Sabre is the clever and intelligent humor that is a regular part of the message boards. Sometimes the back-and-forth postings on our board are better and smarter humor than you could find anywhere. I don’t think most sports-oriented message boards from most universities have that level of smart banter. As with any open forum, there’s some sophomoric junk from time to time, but overall I think the uniqueness of The University and its students bears out on the boards as well.
Most Memorable Cavalier Sports Moment From This Season?
Unfortunately, the “most memorable” for me is a bad memory – attending the USC game. I drove up for the weekend from Chattanooga and met my undergrad roommates. Fun tailgating, great seeing friends, exciting pre-game atmosphere, beautiful day (though a little hot), awful game.
Tailgating must have?
Hamburgers that are at most 85% lean. We buy the 93/7 lean ground sirloin for the house, but for tailgating, something closer to 80/20 is the way to go. That, plus some sort of cheese-oriented high-fat chip product (Doritos, Cheetos, something along those lines) and a football to toss around.
Favorite Food? Favorite Charlottesville restaurant that serves it?
Cajun/Creole seafood, and I don’t know anywhere in C’ville that really does that up right. Close second is Bar-B-Que (tomato base), and I, like many, was a big fan of Big Jim’s. As for a replacement to Big Jim’s, I’m open to suggestions.
What’s one thing most people might be surprised to learn about you?
The first day I had ever been to or seen The University (other than in marketing/admissions materials sent to me when I applied) was the day I moved into Tuttle dorm.
What was your first car and what do you remember about it?
1979 (pretty well used when I started driving in ’88) Ford F-150, long bed pick-up. It was pale yellow (dubbed the “milk truck” by my friends), had a vinyl bench seat, no air conditioning, no FM radio or cassette player (AM only), and a metal floor. My dad bought it new in ’79 for about $6,000, and sold it sometime in the mid-90s for about $3,000 – at the time of sale, it had less than 80,000 miles on it.
What are the most played songs on your iPod right now?
iPod? What iPod? I like music, but don’t buy a lot of it. Music choice depends on the mood, and might range from U2 (mostly pre “Achtung Baby”), to Bruce Springsteen, to Eva Cassidy, to Clint Black, to Billy Joe Shaver, to Beethoven’s 9th. I’m actually a pretty big fan of Celtic music and know when to catch that on the public radio stations down here.
In a related question perhaps, if you were running the Scott Stadium sound system, what music would you choose as the entrance music?
I don’t really care one way or the other about the intro music. But on a related note, I occasionally see folks disparaging the singing of the Good Ol’ Song after scores, and that strikes me as completely nuts. The Good Ol’ Song may not be intimidating or typically “football” sounding, but there is nothing better than putting your arms around strangers and friends and swaying back and forth singing for Dear Ol’ UVa. It’s a wonderfully unique tradition, it creates a great sense of community amongst the fans, and frankly it looks pretty cool to see whole sections of the stadium swaying.
Since it is summer, your favorite spring/summer vacation spot?
Well, since spring a year ago my wife and I (and another Hoo couple) were in Tuscany, I’d have to say Siena, Toscana. Or maybe Florence. But if you mean more regular spots, I’d have to say somewhere in the western North Carolina mountains – Highlands, or Robbinsville, or just about anywhere that you can hike or bike ride or canoe and enjoy the mountains.
What’s your motto or catchphrase in life? OR What is one piece of advice you could give to current students/young people?
I can’t sum up my view of or perspective on life in a single catchphrase. As for some advice, I suppose I would say, particularly to students, that you should take time to savor your few years at The University, learn to appreciate it’s uniqueness, and do not underestimate the impact of how you spend those years will have on who you are as a person for years after. The ways you spend your time, the people you choose to associate with, the things you think about and study, the contributions of effort and service you take time to make will be, though not indelibly marked, deeply chiseled into the person that commences from the University.
