Barrick Chooses Viriginia

Houston Barrick has made an early decision to attend the University of Viriginia. So early in fact that Cavaliers head coach Brian Boland can't announce the good news or publicize his reaction to it. But I 'll take a wild guess and say he's overjoyed at the prospect of having Barrick as a part of his team, even if it won't be right away. I heard a coach describe Barrick as a "program-maker," and although Boland has already built Viriginia into a NCAA title contender, he knows Barrick can lead them to new heights.

Julie Wrege of The Tennis Recruiting Network is at the Gator Bowl and she's talked with Barrick about his choice and the reason he decided to make it this far in advance (he's 17 and just finishing his junior year). The Q & A is here.

By the way, Barrick did win the Gator Bowl today, and I was interested to see that he avenged his 2005 Kalamazoo loss to Brennan Boyajian by defeating him in yesterday's semifinals. Boyajian, who won the 16s Easter Bowl last month in Palm Springs, was unseeded in the 18s at the Gator Bowl, but after finishing third in a Level 1, he'll certainly be moving up. I'm betting it's not the last time the two of them meet in the late stages of a big national tournament. Update Despite the National Junior Tournament Schedule Book saying the Gator Bowl is a level 1, the sources I've checked since noticing the discrepancy are deeming that an error. It is listed as a Level 3 on tennislink, which is what it has been in the past.