Cavalier Corner

December 2016

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there I was, running around and rebounding and passing." Devon's version sounds very similar: "It was our second game and we played George Washington and I didn't shoot it well. I just didn't think I had a good game and we took an L, too. I just wanted to get some shots up so I called him because I was frustrated with the way I played. It was maybe 2:30-3 a.m. and I just needed to get in the gym. We both had stuff the next morning, but I had to do it. And he was there for me. "I would do the same thing if he needed me," Devon added. "No question." A 6-2, 260-pound defensive end, Mark has dealt with a number of ups and downs during his career at UVA. Through position switches and coaching changes, he's always been able to keep himself on the right track. Having come to the university in 2012, he redshirted that year and learned quickly that transitioning to college was a tough gig. That Devon, a 6-5, 207-pound guard, ar- rived the following summer made life a lot easier for Mark, who could help his brother through what was also a tough transition. "Him being able to guide me through the redshirt process was huge," Devon said. "He told me to trust that process and just work as hard as possible. That was easier for me to hear from him because he had lived it. "He went through the same scenario so that helped me out 100 percent." The Hall brothers, each with degree in hand by this point (Mark in anthropology, Devon in media studies) and working on their master's, have been able to support each other through the years in ways that few would totally understand. The first male children in their family to graduate from college, earning scholarships and then al- lowing their parents to be able to see them both in one trip was special. "There will be moments where I'm strug- gling with something in school or in prac- tice and I reach out to him," Devon ex- plained. "We both lean on our teammates in our sports, no question, but we also lean on each other. We see each other as often as we can. Even though we're both crazy busy, we make it work. "It's been huge," he added. "It's so nice that they have us both at the same school and that obviously helps with travel and everything. I think they're just really proud of us having come up here and making the most of our college years and we've gotten great educations." "We wanted to make it easier on our par- ents," Mark said. "It's a parent's dream to see their kids earn a scholarship and go to college so that was something that was im- portant for us. We talked a lot about it and we wanted to be the first male grandchildren in our family to graduate college. That was very important to us." That Devon ended up at UVA had some- thing to do with his brother already being in Charlottesville. As kids, the two played sports together for a number of years until it was clear that their sport of choice would fork them in different directions. But the games of one-on-one were still interesting. "We both played football and basketball," Mark said. "We played on teams together all of our lives. My brother played quarter- back. He was a right-handed quarterback even though he shoots with his left hand. I stopped playing basketball my senior year in high school, and by then it was clear he was going to be a real player. He stuck to that from middle school on and it stuck to him. "I was always the stronger one when we

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